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We at the Temple of Witchcraft have been looking for ways to do outreach so our distant members can feel connected to the greater work of the Temple. The Pisces ministry presents a Full Moon Circle here at the Temple’s home in Salem, New Hampshire, every month.

This year our focus for those moon circles is spell work. We were inspired to produce some spells that will be used at the Temple full moons and make them available to all our initiates and friends to join us. Each of spell has the intention of creating a better world for us all. You may feel free to join us as is appropriate for your own circumstances. You might join us for all of them or just a few. We hope you will take us up on the opportunity to join in on the Great Work.

Since we are doing spells, each one may require you to get supplies ready to cast the spell with us. All the supplies for the next month are listed in the postscript of the month before to give you time to acquire any necessary supplies. We have attempted to make them as simple, but still effective, as possible to make these available to the most people.

We will also be working with the thirteen goals of the witch in person and also in our journals throughout the lunar month. We will provide some journal prompts for you if you want to join in.

Goal of the Witch: Exercise Mind and Body

• In what way do you exercise your mind?
• What puzzles of life are you dealing with right now?
• Are you reading or rereading something that expands your mind?
• What is one small step you can do to take better care of your mind?
• How do you care for your body?
• Do you think you are getting enough exercise, sunlight, pure clean water, the right foods for your body, and rest?
• What is one small step you can do to take better care of your body in the next week?

Scorpio Full Moon: The Waters of Peace

For this spell you will need a bowl, water, fresh roses (or dried if need be), an athame, an optional container for your waters, and a strainer. This month’s intention is to spread the energies of active peace through the medium of waters.

I say “active peace” because we want to solve problems to bring about peace and not get complacent to just have that peace erode. Peace takes work both inner and outer to solve problems and regain emotional equilibrium.

Pour your water into the bowl and put it at the center of your altar. Bless the water with this invocation.

I call to the Blessed spirits of water
Masters and teachers of emotion and peace
To bless this water with their light and energy
That is brings active peace to the world
For the highest good, harming none
So mote it be!

Take out your roses and crush the heads letting the rose petals fall within the bowl of water. Blessing it by saying something like the following.

I call to the plant spirit of rose,
Keeper of the mysteries
Bringer of love and peace
To bless this water to bring active peace to the world
For the highest good, harming none
So mote it be!

Take your athame and hold it to the sky, saying:

I call to the Goddess of the moon,
Mistress of emotion and solutions
To strike this blade with her power
To fill it with her light
And from it fill this potion with her might
Dip the blade within the mixture
As God is to Goddess
As blade is to bowl
Truth is to love
And all paradox is solved
This water brings active peace.
So mote it be.

If you can leave the bowl out under the full moon to absorb more of the energies of the moon. Ideally, the color of the flowers will bleed into the water when it is done. When you feel it is ready, strain out the rose petals for composting or disposal. You can bottle the potion to spread in different places or you can pour it out onto the ground in a sacred space to join with the waters of the world bringing peace.

Blessed Be,
Adam Sartwell

Post script: Our next spell will be pretty simple. All you will need is a pen, paper, fire source, and a fire-safe place to burn.

by Christopher Penczak, edited by Tina Whittle

What is real? Your tradition is not real. Your practice is not real. Your coven is not real. Really? Not so long ago, I was complimented (?) by someone in the magickal community who uses their pedigree in British Traditional Wicca to question the legitimacy of others as Witches, denouncing their stories as “fake” even though the founders of their own tradition faced (and still face) the same cries of forgery and charlatanism. They complimented me on the fact that I am “real” and that if I made shit up, at least I didn’t try to make a fake story about it. While I appreciated the back-handed kudos for being direct and clear (at least most of the time), the conversation did get me to thinking about what is real.

Today there is a lot hand-wringing and teeth-gnashing around how “real” our traditions are, and a sense of betrayal from those who are deemed “fake.” As an occultist, I find it incredibly strange that finding out where something comes from could rob a personal experience of meaning. That makes absolutely no sense to me. But I guess it’s because my first and foremost desire is in the techniques, the technology of the magick. While there is art and culture to it, I want to look under the hood at how it works, if it works. As a former Catholic raised in dogmatic and patriarchal customs, I guess I had a sense of betrayal. How could a religion of love reject me as a homosexual man unwilling to confirm to their rules? Well, in retrospect, in a theology accepting eternal punishment in hell for disobedience, it was pretty easy to see that was coming, but it still hurt. And because I didn’t have a lot of direct experiences in Catholicism, I had no idea how to look to the underlying principle.

So when I entered Witchcraft, I vowed not to make that mistake. I assumed everyone was lying, or at least telling the story in the way that was most helpful to them and their motives. Thankfully I had a teacher in Laurie Cabot who taught that history is written by the winners and that things are not always what they seem. From her, I learned to take everything with a grain of salt, knowing it comes from a human perspective, and to do my own research on everything. So I did. I came to the conclusion that if I saw something—a repeated symbol, idea, or pattern in several different cultures and times—then perhaps that was a theme of the common human experience that could have value to me now. I started to collate ideas and concepts that ranged far and wide, and I gradually accepted them as “a” truth. I never got hung up on one paradigm or tradition. While I honor my teachers, I never fell into the cult of personality, of having my power stem from their blessing. Some people do, and they soon dress and emulate their teachers, thinking that is the secret. It’s not. My power comes from the inherent work and effort I’ve put into my own magick. And so does yours.

As someone looking for those shared experiences common to the human quest for meaning and understanding, I examine a variety of cultures, religions, and time periods for common themes. Are they the same thing? No. But do they share core characteristics that were shaped by the time, place, environment, language and customs of the people? Yes. It brings us into the difficult arena of appropriation and respect. Some find it disrespectful to make the comparisons, believing such things cannot be equated, and that comparative myth robs us of rich individual cultures. And they may have a point. If I were looking strictly for religion or religious culture, I would not necessarily compare, but I would seek to recreate and reconstruct things I have a direct connection to, a right to access.

But I’m not looking for that. As an occultist, I am breaking systems down to their parts and trying to figure out how the pieces fit (or how they don’t) into my practice today. I look for what is common, for what will now be shaped by my own time, place, environment, language, and customs. This is a process—a system of cultural exchange, study of the past, and personal gnosis common to the collective human experience—that has been going on for as long as humans have experienced magick. I don’t purport to be anything that I am not, nor take and use anything whole for personal gain to the detriment of others. I research, talk, question, experience, compare, and synthesize, as occultists have before me, looking for the wider meta-theory to explain the cosmos, consciousness, and our place and purpose in it.

As I grow in my own culture and community, and we gather together in common cause and build upon older ideas and create and recreate new ones, we move beyond the science and into the artistic cultural expression. As a mystery cult in the best sense of the word, meaning like-minded individuals gathered to experience the ineffable, we share culture. This is the vehicle to hold magickal technique. Ritual is art. Over time groups organically grow their own coherent internal symbol structure, mythos, story, and art, often rife with contradictions, a hallmark of any organic process. If it all works too neatly, too cleanly, there is no mystery. Some questions cannot be answered or explained, only experienced. Through this work I began to understand the difference between literal history and mythic history.

All religions have a mythic history, a meta-history explaining the great world with their own place in it. Some of it is based on literal events. Some of it is mythologized to fit a world view. Some of it is in the ancient past, and some of it is far more recent than many are comfortable with. But mythic history entwined with literal history helps us find and experience the magick. All religions and cults have had it. We can look to the claims of the second temple of Jerusalem and wonder how strong the proof is for the first temple. We can look to the stories of Christ and wonder why there are not more historic non-Christian accounts of this great leader. While Buddhism mythically has always been in Tibet, we know historically it was imported from India. The parting of the Red Sea? The resurrection? Enlightenment under a bodhi tree? There may be kernels of history there, but we cannot accept them as literal fact. Ancient civilizations were more accepting than we are today. Ancient people didn’t have tools like internet searches and social media to research and denounce potential falsehoods, so the mythic history grew to hold the perspective of the cult. More recent examples, such as the adventures of Joseph Smith and the founders of the Church of Latter Day Saints, seem ridiculous to many of us, and are often ridiculed, but talk to any practitioner or former practitioner of Mormanism, and you’ll find deep mystical experiences. As a magician, check out one of their Temples, and you cannot deny that something is going on in there, with their art and icons and geometry.

Out of all the religions, I think Buddhists have the best attitude in separating mythic and literal history. Rooted in the techniques, one is not dependent upon the other. For example, the Dali Lama can espouse the Buddhist mythos supporting Tibet’s origins, while also calling for more research into the migration of Buddhism into Tibet and recognition of the indigenous shamanic practices that existed in and were adopted by Buddhists until the country was culturally transformed. To the Buddhist, it matters not if there was ever a historical Buddha, or if his life created Buddhism in the way it is told. The details, while sometimes debated, are not fought over as a literal truth in the same way other religions do. Buddha is a state of consciousness, to be awakened to the true nature of reality. Buddha himself can be a distraction to the student finding their own awakening. As the famous Zen wisdom says, “If you meet the Buddha on the road, kill him.” There is no Buddha, only Buddha nature expressed by individuals. Imagine telling that to a fundamentalist Christian. Now think about what that might mean to the Witch.

We can talk about the Burning Times as a way to express the sense of persecution that so many of us experience, particularly when we are new to the path and seeking empowerment, while also acknowledging the mythic truths that passed for truth in terms of the numbers and stories are just that, myth and not fact. But don’t let that swing you to a point of view that persecution against those perceived as Witches never actually happened, for amid those cases are several strange folkloric tales pointing to deeper truths. We can reclaim, or perhaps simply claim, words that express who we are, particularly if those words are not claimed by others. Even when there is confusion, to define our words and terms as we use them for clarity, we have the right to self-identify in our own spiritual quest. Words change meaning and use over time, which is why dictionaries often list multiple meanings for the same word in different contexts. We can talk mythically about a great peaceful culture before the patriarchy, as many myths have a time before time when all was at peace and union with the gods. It gives us hope and vision for a future, even if we can’t point to a time and place where it is true. There is still so much of our history on Earth we are ignorant of, and stories and myths fill those gaps. We can speak of sunken cities and consider the variety of flood myths and literal sunken lands that provide kernels of truth to the tales of Atlantis, and still not confuse these tales with verified, scientifically accepted facts. Yet all the time science is proving things that once appeared false, and scientific opinions can flip with new evidence. We can tell our stories for meaning and be soberly open to new facts without invalidating our truth and our experiences. As any good bard will tell you, something doesn’t have to have happened to be true.

A popular saying is that spirituality is having your own experience, while religion is belief in someone else’s experience, their account of it, as scripture. I used to believe that, but I’d like to see the definition of religion go back to its roots as a force linking us consciously with the divine, not unlike yoga yoking us to the divine in union, but as a former Catholic, I certainly understand the sentiment behind the statement. If you have a technique that offers experience, even after arduous practice and training, no one can take the experience from you, even if the teacher or tradition somehow “betrays” you. Teachers have clay feet. It’s natural to project so much upon those who mentor and teach, in life and even more so after death. Likewise such figures become targets of other projections, which can be true but are sometimes untrue, with vehement characterizations of actions and motives by people who were not there. If you weren’t in the room when it happened, you can’t really know what happened, and even in those cases where you were, perspective is a funny thing.

There are many things we will never “know,” and over time in community, you can see trends when famous figures are embraced, then vilified, and then embraced again in a cycle. Some get instant folk sainthood by the zealous. I know one fellow practitioner who died, and the stories told about him don’t resemble the reality I knew when he was alive. But I also know if you call upon him in circle and ask for help now after his death, he’s right there working with you, so there could be merit in his mythologizing. Likewise I know wise and loving practitioners whose contributions have been minimized and almost forgotten despite enjoying quite a bit of popularity and community success in life.

If the system or tradition has a philosophy that you can put into real practice, and you experience the benefit of it, then the teaching is good, even if the teacher is flawed. Look for teachers who emphasize the timelessness of the teaching, and who, whenever possible, try to take themselves out of the story of the teaching. Sure, claim your sources and be truthful about how you got the teaching, but emphasize the teaching. Personality is just a vehicle to transmit the teaching. Charisma is a tool, not the goal. Then it doesn’t matter if you got a “grandmother” story with it, a term referring to the reported fantastical initiation of Alex Sanders by his grandmother. If the teaching brought results, it is sound.

We seek verified psychic experiences to know we are getting results. We do spells to shape our reality to see the results. And we build relationships with spirits and deities, and ultimately with ourselves, because such relationships result in a fundamental shift in worldview, paradigm, and consciousness. With such experiences, it matters not if your tradition or teacher is “real.” Many of the best myths in our Craft involves tricksters, tricking us out of what we were so certain of to see things in a whole other way.

We are at the end of April and Beltane festivities are just around the corner. The sun has just entered into the earth sign of Taurus, which usually comes with a sense of stability and comfort, but right now rebellion is in the air and things are not calming down easily, so what’s going on?

Battles of Life

Well, a lot of things are going on right now, especially in the sign of Aries the warrior. Chiron, Venus, Vesta, and Mercury are all together in in the sign of Aries. They are inspiring us with bravery, boldness, courage, and faith in the future. Aries can run straight into battle with no fear, and that can be good, but sometimes we need to think before we act as well. Luckily we have the asteroid Pallas (wisdom, strategy) in the opposite sign of Libra (balance, justice) helping us to balance things.

If you have the chance to take a few moments to breathe, think, and make a plan before you rush into one of your battles in life right now, that is good, and it might increase your chances of success. Still, you can only hold back a warrior for so long, and sometimes connecting to the primal force of fire and “doing what needs to be done” is an old recipe for both survival and success. This balance between acting and thinking is something that we all are being challenged by now.

The underworld and connecting to lost times

The connection to the Underworld has been strong for quite a while, and it will continue to be so. Saturn (time, karma) is in conjunction with the south node (the past, karma) very close to Pluto (the underworld, soul, transformation) in Capricorn (old time, teacher). This is challenging for everyone as we meet up with many things that we just have to deal with. No one is getting out of this world alive, and no one gets away from this constellation literally “chewing” on all of us right now.

On the bright side, this is wonderful for all kinds of work with the ancestors: connecting to the underworld, sacred sites, and the wisdom of old ages. As a witch this could be a time of reconnecting to ancestors, power, wisdom, and talents lost in time. We may think this link or portal will be forever, but this, like many other things, will pass eventually. So take the opportunity to make friends with the Spirits that are visiting right now and grow a strong bond with those with whom you feel a loving connection. In this way you can stay connected even after the portal closes down more.

The south node and Saturn are traveling together until the middle of November 19th, when one part of this gate is closing in. Saturn and Pluto in Capricorn are dancing together until the middle of March 2020, and that is also when Saturn moves into the sign of Aquarius and we let go of some parts of our connection to the underworld and move on to new adventures.

The Ancestors backing you up

The brave warrior energy of Vesta and Mercury in Aries is right now connected to Saturn, the south node, and Pluto in Capricorn in a T-square with the north node in Cancer. This means the warriors of old times are very close to us. The Ancestors and Mighty Dead of your Tradition, or other traditions, may very well get closer to you, helping you in a personal way. (Anyone looking to work with them more closely should take a look at Christopher Penczak’s book The Mighty Dead.) Pay attention to the signs you receive, books and ceremonies coming your way. Dreams guiding you towards the next step. Act on the signs you get from Spirit during this time as it may be a map towards an exiting adventure with the Master Teachers right next to you leading the way. But remember you are the one who must take the steps.

Letting go of old wounds

If you have memories of being a wounded warrior in this or other lifetimes, this may surface now. The good thing is that it has a chance to heal and be transformed. Ask for help if you or someone close to you need assistance. If you live near an old battlefield, there may be a lot of spirit activity at this time. Sometimes it can help to give an offering of peace and healing to the site. You can ask a medium, minister, or healer to help you if you need assistance, as you may want to make sure that nothing is attaching itself to you. Be mindful of your personal practices to maintain your boundaries and well-being.

Sensitive children

For sensitive people, especially children, this is a time when they see and feel extra much from the world of Spirit. Take this as an opportunity to remake the wards around the house and recharge amulets and protective jewelry. This influence with the warrior energy and the underworld wanes as Mercury (the messenger of the gods) moves into the sign of Taurus, letting go of the connection to Pluto (the underworld) around the 7th of May.

Shall we dance?

On television they are “dancing with the stars.” Well, in paganism and Witchcraft we are dancing with the Gods and Goddesses, aren’t we?

Beltane is a fertility and spring celebration at the lighter part of the year and connected to spirits of fertility, birth, and growth. On the opposite side of the Wheel of the Year we have Samhain, the last of the harvest festivals, connected to endings and rest. Even if the Spirits are connected by their opposite connection on the wheel, they are not likely to hang out with each other. Except for now, when the connection to the underworld is so strong even if it is Springtime moving towards Summer. It makes this an exiting time, specially if you are a Spirit! So look out for unusual combinations of Spirits talking and hopefully having a good time. (Perhaps you will also be guided to make unusual combinations of herbs and potions?)

This unique blend of energies can give the ceremonies a different but most potent “flair”. So don’t be afraid to adapt the rituals, making them a perfect match for everyone attending, human or not!

Blessings!

Karin Ugander is a spiritual channeler living in the south of Sweden. In Scandinavia she is known for the AstroNumerology and Psychic readings she’s been doing for over 20 years. Together with her husband Niklas, she runs KaniSkolan, a school of astrology, numerology, tarot, StarCode Healing, and natural medicine. They are also the founders of Alven Inner Ring tradition, a Scandinavian mystery school with roots in shamanism and magick. Karin loves to create magickal oils, flower essences and sigils she combines in her “Karin Victoria” sigil candles and flower sprays. In her spare time she likes to travel, walk in the forest with her dog, and spend time by the ocean. Karin is a high priestess and graduate of the Temple of Witchcraft’s seminary program.

You can find Karin Ugander at Instagram @flowerpowerwitch and @karinuganderofficial

by Christopher Penczak, edited by Tina Whittle

What happens if and when we “win?” By winning, I mean that after years of saying the viewpoint of a polytheistic, esoteric, environmental, feminist, spiritual culture should have a stronger voice and more influence in the overculture and society, people start to listen. What do we have to offer? And how will that change how we define ourselves?

My primary concern is that once you define yourself in reaction to the dominant force, in rebellion only, what do you do when you win? Witches are notoriously rebellious and often contrary. Particularly today we are both reactionary and resistance based. In big and small ways, many of us are reacting and not responding. Even in our responses, we are often working against something. And that is a necessary aspect. It is the catabolic, the restrictive, and the hex that balances the anabolic, the expansive, and the healing. We need both dissolution and coagulation in the reimagining of the world. We need both separation and conjunction, withering and waxing for a dynamic response. But while we are tearing down what does not serve, what are we building? And how are we balancing?

The source of both our strengths and our weaknesses is the rebellious nature of our essential selves. We often describe ourselves as goats, not sheep. Many keys to initiation are through the adverse and the taboo, through disobedience to the mainstream. If we wanted to be well-behaved and “just like everyone else,” we might never have found our Craft. We don’t want to be normal, and we envision a world where it is okay for each individual to choose what is normal and not have it imposed. While many want Paganism to be accepted as just another religion and Pagans as just like everyone else (often going to great lengths to dismiss the “woo woo” of mysticism, trance, and spellcraft), most Witches know we didn’t seek this path out to be just like everyone else. These different ideas are creating conflict amid modern Pagans and Witches today and contributing to the growing divide between religionists and occultists at heart. This tension leads to amazing new art and ritual, drawing on the past to forge new traditions and ideas, but can also lead to Witch Wars, coven dissolution over petty differences, and the abandonment of long-term traditions and larger shared goals. A Witch is alone, and a Witch is never alone.

Sometimes I fear that our inability to navigate both sides of our crooked path will leave the Witch’s voice out of the conversation, the visionary plan, and the rebuild. When the edge is moved once again, we will most likely move to the next edge, the next boundary, but when all is embraced and accepted, when we approach the coagulation of the alchemist, what will we do? The magick and mystery must be woven as at least a thread in the greater societal tapestry as it has been in ancient and indigenous cultures. It is not necessary for the magick to be in opposition to the whole, but it must be in tension with a part of it. We collectively have simply forgotten what that looks like in the Western traditions, and we need to recreate it. Otherwise we will be sowing the seeds of a new world in astral dreams, which is deeply important work, but it will nonetheless be relying on others to do the real-world action of follow up, which doesn’t get our hands dirty. And all Witches learn, eventually, that we must get our hands dirty, or we will be ineffective. We must work for the change we desire.

For me, the key to moving forward is separating rebellion from revolution. While rebellion is rooted in opposition and resistance to a seemingly dominant power, revolution is a rotation, a turning of the wheel. While today we use it as a form of upheaval, particularly in the context of society, it means to roll back, often quickly and somewhat in opposition to the more archaic form of evolution, the gradual rolling forward of progress. Today we think of it primarily—and considering our current politics, strangely controversially—as a Darwinian, biological evolution. It’s in opposition to the anti-evolutionary, anti-science stance of the religious intelligent design theory. An occultist of any stripe wouldn’t deny intelligent design, but also wouldn’t include it as science. It is a philosophy and point of view, not a hard science.

In magick we are often envisioning the Golden Age, the time before and the greater cycles, rotations of time. Can the Witch’s spirit of revolution be the re-evolution, a return to the primordial self and another imagining of humanity and our relationship with the world? Then we explore, model, and share these new ways of being as possibilities for others in the revolution and turning of the world. Revolution can reimagine new paradigms and systems of groups, education, community, art, and religion.

The revolution is organic because anything that is forced and reactionary doesn’t have roots to survive. Things need to be rooted both in the patterns of the Earth and the consciousness of the heavens to thrive. For me, I’m less interested in resistance and more in withdrawing my energy from things that don’t work, building things that do work, and fulfilling my own vision of the world. But that is my part. Others will clear the way for new things to grow, dismantling the old. That is their part.

My hope is we won’t neglect the building while we are busy breaking failed systems down. Rather than convincing someone to not do something or not use a word, symbol, or idea, we should provide an alternative. The way things evolve organically is to provide new examples, words, symbols, ideas, paradigms, and ways of living. Model them. Adapt them as you learn better. And wait to see what catches on when you share them. Don’t push them as the one way, but as a way, and see what people choose. When you model things that work better, eventually people interested in living that way will find them. Edgewalkers are also the ones who need to model them in the world, so they can be found. Be yourself. Be your vision of the world, and allow yourself to be discovered as you are, building the world you wish to live in bit by bit.

The numerological vibration of 2019 is 39/12/3. A year with a lot of changes on many levels. (For more information of the whole year, please read the previous post 2019 Numerology: Sunshine and Surprises.)

As we move to the month of April and the second quarter reaching to June, things are being intensified and we find ourselves at a place that is an energetic “tipping point.” As challenging this may be, it is also a great opportunity to make changes towards the life that we want to live, both personally and as a citizen on this planet. So let’s take a look at the numerology vibrations and see what they can show us.

April – 43/7 and the power of the mind

The numerological vibration of the month of April is 43/7 (4+3=7). This is a very special number and personally I regard it as a kind of “master number” even if traditionally it is not. This vibration is very strong on the mental plane. People having this as one of their personal numbers all have a strong mental energy and a talent for telepathy. They have both a sharp eye and a keen mind. They are interested in anything that is quick and moves rapidly. People with the 43/7 vibration also loves all kinds of vehicles: cars, planes, motorbikes. You can often find many of them selling cars, among pilots or as professional photographers. With this energy this month things will start to move rapidly in all areas of life. You cannot hold back this energy even if you try, you are moving forward. What you can do is to direct the energy to where you want it to go. With this, 43/7 can assist you to get access to your mental powers and steer the change towards a place of beauty and fulfilment.

43/7 has a connection to stones and crystals and all kinds of energy work. People with this vibration usually have a fascination of the lost civilization of Atlantis and the Ocean, even if not otherwise interested in spiritual things.

Spirit work and seduction

One of the challenges of 43/7 is the longing for other planes of existence. They love the feeling of merging with other energies and they love having a good time. This makes drugs and other intoxicating things a dangerous zone for them. During the month of April we can all more easily access other planes and other frequencies, but we all need to be aware not to get lost in the seducing call from poisonous plants or seducing spirits from other worlds.

43/7 is connected to the Tarot card the 3 of Cups.

44/8 manifestation of a higher plane

In the month of May the numerological vibration is 44/8, a master number associated with karma and hard work. People born with this vibration did not come to the earth plane to spend a holiday as a human, they came here to work and grow, a lot. The number 8 is a mental builder and it comes from 4+4 = 8. The four is a physical builder and here it comes two times. Therefore it is no surprise that this number is often found as a personal vibration for people working as architects, professors, leaders, politicians, and inventors. The number eight is associated with the snake and the power of change. People with this number often have interesting lives, and many ups and downs. They can have it all, lose it all, and then have it all again. You can find this person on a mountaintop in Tibet meditating with monks, and you can find them in a board meeting.

In it’s essence it is about using spiritual power wisely on the earthly plane. Connecting the different planes of existence and directing it for the greater good of humanity and the earth. On that road there may be some blockages hindering the path of Spirit and that is what 44/8 is pushing for. Moving away the blockages, clearing the path of Spirit so it can manifest on the earthly plane.

If you have this vibration as a personal year it is exhausting, and it will be a challenge for all of us on the collective plane in the month of May. It may feel like a lot of hard work, and it is. But everything you do under this vibration is magnified by the power of the snake and the eight as an eternity symbol. That means everything that you do, all that time and effort you put in under this vibration, will give you a double return, at a minimum. It is very strong and wonderful to do earth ceremonies during this vibration. The connection to earth, power animals and plant allies are strong and it is easier to hear the earth song. 44/8 is connected to the tarot card 4 of cups.

June 45/9 Spirit in action

In the month of June we are under the numerological vibration of 45/9 (4+5=9) and we are meeting up with the result from the two previous months. The 45/9 is a number that has the ability to move a lot of energy because it is made up from two physical numbers, the 4 and the 5. If you find yourself in a new situation, like without a job, or no new contract, you do wisely to have a higher perspective. Take a deep breath, connect yourself to a higher plane and then anchor that energy on the physical level. The number 45/9 is about Spirit in action and what first might seem like a downfall, may very well be a great opportunity moving you to a place more aligned with your soul purpose. Pull that power down and manifest it in a good way.

45/9 is connected to the Tarot card 5 of Cups.

Downloads of energy

If you are a person who usually feels when a lot of energy is reaching the earth plane, you can be quite overwhelmed this period between April till the end of June. Don’t be surprised if you wake up in the morning with instructions of doing meditations at power places or planting crystals at certain vortex points. You may also feel called to meditate on certain events that are important for the generations to come.

The World of Spirit putting you to work

During this quarter from April to June we can expect to have a lot to do. If you are a lightworker, witch, magickal practitioner, healer, herbalist, counsellor, lawyer, politician, speaker, influencer, mom, dad, teacher, or have any kind of work involving other people, you will have a lot to do. Spirit will take any chance it has to assist in this critical tipping point. We can choose to complain about the intensity and hard work, or we can choose to lift our eyes up a bit and see that something big is about to happen and we have the gift of being in the middle of it, having a chance to be a part of creating something new and potentially wonderful. Blessings!

Karin Ugander is a spiritual channeler living in the south of Sweden. In Scandinavia she is known for the AstroNumerology and Psychic readings she’s been doing for over 20 years. Together with her husband Niklas, she runs KaniSkolan, a school of astrology, numerology, tarot, StarCode Healing, and natural medicine. They are also the founders of Alven Inner Ring tradition, a Scandinavian mystery school with roots in shamanism and magick. Karin loves to create magickal oils, flower essences and sigils she combines in her “Karin Victoria” sigil candles and flower sprays. In her spare time she likes to travel, walk in the forest with her dog, and spend time by the ocean. Karin is a high priestess and graduate of the Temple of Witchcraft’s seminary program.

You can find Karin Ugander at Instagram @flowerpowerwitch and @karinuganderofficial

by Christopher Penczak, edited by Tina Whittle

Recently I read something whose author was taking a practitioner to task for doing “inner work” when the world so obviously needed “outer work.” The critique was a call against self-development and personal healing in favor of the community and the world. While I understand the sentiment, it also flies in the face of all that I know as an occultist and Witch.

The idea was that being self-focused is a privileged position, as many who are facing dire life-and-death situations cannot have the same focus, and our duty is to help them rather than get immersed in an egocentric sense of personal fulfillment. We should be immersed in activism, resistance, and politics, not meditation, therapy, or creativity. To worry about our own path, or the success of our own careers and relationships, is selfish. We can make our lives better by making other people’s lives better.

Even as a writer of what effectively boils down to “self-help” (though magick) books, I too cringe at some of the positive thinking books and courses out there. But I cringe because they address the symptoms—money, relationships, beauty, health, happiness—rather than the core of self. They are not getting to the inner reality, but instead address the desires and expectations, and if you are only addressing desires and expectations, then yes, I do understand this point. But through the true understanding of the core of self, we find the interconnectedness to all that is not self, to everything. Without it, we don’t have a true understanding on how our thoughts, words, and deeds really affect everyone and everything.

My foundational teachings were Witchcraft based in Hermetics, and the entry point to Hermetic teachings was the seven principles summed up in The Kybalion. I like to tell people that in focusing upon the Law of Attraction, you’ve both lost focus of its true heart and forgotten six more equally important ideas. There is the key concept known as the Principle of Mentalism that states we are all part of One Thing, within the One Mind. Another key concept is that of correspondence: “As above, so below.” The changes in one reflect the changes in the other.

The problem with focusing solely on either side of this equation is that it creates a fundamental misunderstanding of how they are both connected. Many people cannot change the outer world, and feeling failure due to the enormity of it all, withdraw and disengage. The desire to help needs to stem from an internal source. Often those escaping their own thoughts, feelings, relationships, and failures dive right into service, believing it selfless, but under those circumstances, it is actually selfish. Others dive right into their own feelings, thoughts, and problems, seeking to solve them. Some get stuck on the outer forms of success, but many go deep enough to find the authentic self, and the connection to all, allowing them to return inspired. Effective practitioners go through both cycles, eventually coming to the realization that they are the same, that working on the world is working on the self and working on the self is working on the world. I am often reminded of the teachings of a Seneca Nation elder, Grandmother Twylah, which were shared in a documentary directed by Donna Reed entitled Full Circle, part of a trilogy on Earth-based and women’s spirituality that was popular among the Witches of the early nineties: “I get a big kick out of people coming around and they’ll say, ‘What can we do to heal Mother Earth?’ Heal yourself, we tell them.”

The two are not mutually exclusive. We cannot hope to build a better world when we are suffering from our internal wounds. And we cannot hope to heal from those wounds without looking within. Likewise if we only put a window dressing to our internal imbalances, we will not create a balanced world. Both are required for success. Each person will have a different balance. And perhaps now is a time in the pendulum swing for the outer world to be more obvious and apparent. But that doesn’t mean the inner world goes away or gets put on hold.

We don’t yet live in a society that provides the foundational layers of the popular Hierarchy of Needs, proposed by Maslow but rooted in the Blackfoot Nation’s indigenous teachings. When we have a certain level of needs met ,we can then focus on self-actualization, which often leads us to service in the world. Many celebrities and musicians blessed with quick fame and fortune will suddenly have strange epiphanies and seek to help the world; those who don’t often become engrossed in ego and accumulation. Those who seek self-actualization often realize the interconnectedness and then go on to help others, particularly with the lower rungs, the safety net, of the hierarchy of needs.

It is in that spirit we pursue both inner and outer work in the Temple of Witchcraft. Meditation, healing, and personal spellcraft are essential foundations, but opportunities for service to the spirits, the people, and the land are also a fundamental part of the work of the Witch. Our ministerial “church” is divided into twelve ministries, each with three fundamental areas—an outreach, an intercommunity, and an esoteric aspect. We weave a web of support, mentorship, and service to the growing community, providing a place where seeking students can build upon what has come before, thereby learning to serve and minister to those who in turn are also seeking. Through our personal studies and service, we each find our own place, our own balance, between the two.

We at the Temple of Witchcraft have been looking for ways to do outreach so our distant members can feel connected to the greater work of the Temple. The Pisces ministry presents a full moon circle here at the Temple’s home in Salem, New Hampshire, every month.

This year our focus for those moon circles is spell work. We were inspired to produce some spells that will be used at the Temple full moons and make them available to all our initiates and friends to join us. Each of spell has the intention of creating a better world for us all. You may feel free to join us as is appropriate for your own circumstances. You might join us for all of them or just a few. We hope you will take us up on the opportunity to join in on the Great Work.

Since we are doing spells, each one may require you to get supplies ready to cast the spell with us. All the supplies for the next month are listed in the postscript of the month before to give you time to acquire any necessary supplies. We have attempted to make them as simple, but still effective, as possible to make these available to the most people.

We will also be working with the thirteen goals of the witch in person and also in our journals throughout the lunar month. We will provide some journal prompts for you if you want to join in.

Libra astrological Blue Full Moon

Goal of the witch: Keep your thoughts in good order and keep your words in good order

This month we focus in on our words and thoughts.

• Have you said or thought things you regret in the past moon cycle?
• What would you change about those thoughts or words?
• Do you use your words to bolster the people around you?
• What affirmations could you use to change the thoughts in your head?

Justice for the Wronged

This month’s spell intention is to help those who have been wronged in our law and order systems. Wrongly accused, misuse of the law, and anything that is an injustice.

This spell can be adapted to your own resources and spiritual style.

Seven day tarot candle variation: You will need an image of the Justice card from the tarot. I printed this one out from Wikipedia. If you are not an internet savvy sorcerer you can use an actual Justice card (see that variation below). Now take out your markers. I used a metallic copper-colored sharpie cause I am a Libra and I like things pretty. To magically justify my Libra-like choice, copper is ruled by Venus which also rules Libra which is the moon we are casting in. You can use any color you want or the one you have on hand for this.

I wrote on the card image. “For the wronged…Justice”. You could adapt it to any group you think has been wronged if you want to focus on a particular group of the wronged. For example: For the people of Flint, Michigan, for separated immigrant families, for trans people, etc. I wrote “for the wronged” because it does cover everyone wronged. If the witch’s flame within your heart calls to you to focus it more or differently, do so.

After it dries Modge Podge or glue it to a seven day candle. Let this dry for about a day or so. When you’re ready to burn it you can take a small nail and make some holes in the top of the candle to let the oil sink deeper into the candle and then anoint the top of the candle with an appropriate justice oil. If you have time and resources look for a blend like Truth and Justice oil, Justice oil, Black Hawk oil, Fiery Wall of Protection oil, Van Van oil, or just plain old protection oil to anoint the candle with. If you are low on supplies or time to get them some blessed olive oil will do.

In your circle, charge the candle to bring justice for the wronged then light it, chanting the following or something like it nine times:

Divine Lady Justice, Hear our plea
Empower the wronged, and set us free.

Release the cone of power with the word “Justice.”

A Justice card you want back and other type of candle variation: Take the Justice card and on top of it put a sticky note that says “for the wronged” or your own focus group. Place it under a clear glass plate so you can see the card but it can’t get any errant wax on it. Place the candle in a holder on top of the plate and anoint it with your justice oil of choice. Recite the chant above or one of your own. After the candle is done, burn the sticky note.

A janky Justice card from a deck you should have gotten rid of long ago variation: Most pagans have a deck that didn’t live up to expectation, don’t just throw it away, use its parts like a carrion crow as tarot magic components! In this one you write on the Justice card. Place it without a plate under the candle. Anoint, light, chant, release, and then burn the card in a safe vessel (preferably outside) when you’re done. (Also, don’t breathe in the smoke from the card, who knows what they are treated with.)

Blessed Be,
Adam Sartwell

Post script: For next month’s spell you will need some fresh roses, a bowl, and some water. If you want to be fancy with it you could also get some rose hydrosol.

There are times when it seems like the Universe is conspiring against us. That no matter what we do, the truth seems to stay hidden underground. Right now, the opposite is happening: The Universe seems to be conspiring for the truth to come out, out from the hidden place of shadows for everyone to see and feel. So let’s take a deeper look at what is going on right now.

The Spiritual Warrior in Me Salutes the Spiritual Warrior in You

The Asteroid Pallas (intelligence, justice, truth) is right now in the sign of Libra (justice, balance, relationships). She has been there for a while, working on our relationships. Asking questions about balance, fairness, and truth. Are you truly happy in this relationship? If, not what can you do to balance that? Are you being true to others, and perhaps the most important question, are you being true to yourself?

When Pallas is making strong movements in the personal astrological chart, we are encouraged to be bold, brave, and to show our true colors. This is especially true when Pallas is moving over our sun, moon, or ascendant. Then it is not uncommon that we get the final courage needed to “step out of the closet” in some way. That can be about our sexual identity, our religion, or our way of life. She is also often activated in the astrological chart when someone is making a tattoo or another personal statement. Pallas craves freedom and when she is active we need to step up, step out, and say. “This is Me.” If we don’t, it can feel like we are not able to breathe or remain comfortable in our own skin.

Pallas is also a great teacher of compassion and respect for others and other people’s life choices. What I find worth fighting for may not be the same as you, but we can both respect each other’s “fighting spirit” and the ability to stand up for something we believe in. When we think about it, how would it be if everyone was fighting for exactly the same issue? Then we would have many more areas being neglected and forgotten. Perhaps we could just say to each other, “The spiritual warrior in me reaches out to the spiritual warrior in you to promote enlightenment and peace.”

Juno, Initiations and Life Changes

Pallas is not alone on her quest. Right now she is joined in a trine to the asteroid Juno (love, marriage, and commitment) in the sign of Gemini (communication, information, friends). At first sight, Juno seems to be all about our romantic relationships and who we will end up with. But if we look deeper, there is more to learn and understand.

Juno shows what is personally important for us in a relationship. It is easy to believe that what I need, is what my friends, my parents, and my coven-mates need as well. But if we look closer and talk to each other without judgement, we may be surprised.

A person with Juno in a water sign (Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces) needs a lot of emotional support and closeness to their partner. Staying with someone after sexual infidelity is probably out of the question and a “deal-breaker.” But for someone with Juno in an air sign (Gemini, Libra, Aquarius) it’s lying that is the “deal breaker.” They may feel other things about the relationship are more important than sharing the same bed. The foundation of the relationship is partnership, mental stimulation, and the camaraderie.

In this way learning about Juno can teach us that not all relationships are built on the same foundations, but can be equally important for the people involved for different reasons.

Juno is connected to the Greek goddess Hera, married to none-other than Zeus himself. While she was completely loyal to him, he was constantly unfaithful. She did not leave him, instead she unleashed her anger towards his lovers and the children born outside of their marriage.

This describes Juno’s darker side: When we stay in something, despite the fact that it is hurting us. When we dim our light believing our partner will shine more brightly. When we judge others for being brave and making the changes that we, in our hearts, wants to do ourselves.

When Juno is active in our personal charts we either say “Yes!” and get deeper involved or, we cut the cords and move on. That can mean leaving the coven that takes more energy than it gives, letting go of a partnership, or moving away from what is hurting us and stealing our power.

It is interesting that Juno also signals initiation and big life changes like the start of menstruation, having sex for the first time, becoming pregnant, moving into menopause and—you probably has guessed this by now—being initiated into a coven or a tradition.

A Trinity of Justice Goddesses

Lilith Black Moon is in the late stages of her journey in the sign of Aquarius. (she will move into Pisces in the beginning of May). She has taught us and challenged us to deal with our collective shadows, but also how we can contribute to create change in the collective.

As a final “goodbye kiss” she is now joining both Pallas and Juno in a big trine in the air signs. These goddesses joined together will fight for the truth to come out. They will encourage those who have kept silent to speak, they will bring courage to dare to listen and dare to believe in the truth when it is spoken, no matter how hard it is to bear. And if someone tries to escape, these ladies are assisted by Pallas being in a square to Pluto (transformation, change, shadow work) and the north node (karma) in Capricorn (old structures).

Meditation and a Blue Light for Truth & Peace

What we can do to assist this work is to meditate for the truth to be revealed. We can also work with the color blue for Peace and Truth to work together, much like the Blue Ray in the Temple of Witchcraft and its associated Cauldron of Peace ritual. However difficult the truth may be a times, it almost always brings with it a sense of peace. It takes energy to hold on to things that are not true and when we let go, the soul finds rest.

Blessings!

Karin Ugander is a spiritual channeler living in the south of Sweden. In Scandinavia she is known for the AstroNumerology and Psychic readings she’s been doing for over 20 years. Together with her husband Niklas, she runs KaniSkolan, a school of astrology, numerology, tarot, StarCode Healing, and natural medicine. They are also the founders of Alven Inner Ring tradition, a Scandinavian mystery school with roots in shamanism and magick. Karin loves to create magickal oils, flower essences and sigils she combines in her “Karin Victoria” sigil candles and flower sprays. In her spare time she likes to travel, walk in the forest with her dog, and spend time by the ocean. Karin is a high priestess and graduate of the Temple of Witchcraft’s seminary program.

You can find Karin Ugander at Instagram @flowerpowerwitch and @karinuganderofficial

by Christopher Penczak, edited by Tina Whittle

“Mastery” is such a tricky word. Does anyone ever truly master anything? Is there not always room for improvement? Is there not always some force beyond your control? While many would define mastery as control over or superiority over another, when we are talking about true mastery, we mean control over the self and superiority to what you once were. Your only rival is the work you did yesterday, as you seek to go further and deeper in your chosen field. Those who have applied this ethos become recognized as skilled.

I often relate the word master to magister, a term popular in today’s revival of “traditional” craft, and at its heart, be it ancient Rome or a medieval university, a magister is a qualified teacher. I also think of the great confusion of the title in our modern metaphysical world of Reiki Master, meaning Reiki Teacher, or one who is qualified to pass the teachings and initiations of a Reiki lineage. Many mistakenly equate Reiki Master with spiritual, enlightened, or even ascended master, and feel they have “arrived” and have no further need to do any personal or professional spiritual work. A true master in any craft knows there is always refinement and exploration. Otherwise, what would be the point?

A master is one who is not only qualified in their field, but also hopefully passionate about passing on their craft, including both the traditions they learned as well as the hard-won knowledge that comes from doing, so the next generation can take the learning further and become even more skillful. For those in a paradigm of superiority and control over others, such sharing and mentoring will never happen, but those confident in their art and practice are not fearful of losing a part of their identity; instead, they want their vocation as a whole to proceed to its fullest expression. It can be difficult to get there and personally feel this all the time, which is why any aspiring master must continue to rigorously practice.

While the Temple of Witchcraft is a religious organization, welcoming and accepting of those who seek to learn or who already identify with the teachings and culture of Witches, Wiccans, Pagans and wise ones from other esoteric traditions, the heart of the tradition is the teachings from our school. The religious organization provides a support structure for those learning to put their skills into practice within community, because community, with all its blessings and failings, then becomes a mirror to see ourselves in our own process, recognize our flaws, and work towards greater skill and mastery. Our desire is to help those students gain the knowledge and experiences to become adept and walk a path towards mastery, as most esoteric schools do. We know we can only take a student so far, and that mastery comes from their own unique experiences and expressions. We hope to provide a framework that balances enough of the discipline and traditions with artistic and creative flexibility, creating a place for personal gnosis and holding it all together in a structure of community where service is a shared value to whole process. This way we can hold it for future generations to use, experience, and contribute to again.

One of the critiques we get in this process is that we move too slowly. We start with lessons that are too basic. There is not a fast track for the talented. And even when there is, it’s not quick or fast enough for some. And that is purposeful, so when I hear the critique, I know we are doing what we set out to do.

While these are difficult, often fast-paced times, there is value in slowing down, truly immersing oneself, experiencing beginner’s mind, and being fully present. We are often not fully present when we are moving quickly. An advantage today is that so much information and philosophy on magick and Witchcraft is available easily to anyone. And people devour it, which is good. But they don’t often digest it. It becomes magickal mind candy, spiritual junk food, even if the teaching is deeply rooted in wisdom. They read and equate reading with expertise. Some will practice it, perhaps very intently, for a very short time, then assume mastery and move onto an often unrelated topic and repeat the process. There is no integration. There is informational education but no progression, as most systems are designed to develop the occult anatomy to handle greater levels of energy and consciousness. It’s akin to working out with no rhyme or reason to exercise and diet and expecting to be a world class athlete, or taking a martial art and expecting black belt status by learning a bunch of unrelated moves from different systems. This is a quite different situation from one that involves really sitting with and experiencing a technique from every angle through regular, consistent doing.

In fact, I find the black belt analogy the best for me, as martial arts progressions are not unlike the levels of spiritual initiation. And like many marital arts students, we get caught up in attainment rather than process. Degrees, ranks, and titles become more important than the experience and integration of the work. Some get their certificate, their cord, and move onto the next challenge, the next system, not really doing anything with what they originally learned because it was not integrated. Soon, they seek to contribute to the flow of information, often regurgitating half-digested truths and sharing their perspective of the present moment instead of the hard-earned wisdom gained with time, work, and reflection. We have instant experts on everything. We then find a field of people assumed to be blackbelts, speaking about what it’s like to be a blackbelt, without the strength, speed, stamina, understanding and wisdom of the blackbelts that have come before them. The previous blackbelts, who recognize their own across traditions, look on a little bewildered. From there we have new leaders and teachers who might be able to speak eloquently about the history of a topic and current opinions, but who can’t magick their way out of a paper bag. Such people have not established the personal foundation, balance, and awareness that might behoove a seeker, let alone a new expert. Those who have reached adepthood, however, will not only experiment personally with new ideas for quite a long time, but also test the technique and ideas with other trusted practitioners, then novices, to make sure the technique is universal and not simply personal before sharing it with the general public.

So like the simple moves that become the foundations for complex series of defenses and attacks, revealing the underlying symbolism of the martial philosophy, we move slowly with simple moves. We ask experienced practitioners to approach with beginner’s mind. We don’t forbid you from studying anything else, but if something else captures your attention and you move on, unable to do both, we bless you on your way. It is easy to get distracted not only by the bright and shiny, but the dark and scary. When they are not deeply applied to inner transformation, both can be useless, despite the very different outer forms. There is a movement that values aesthetics over true art. While beauty and expression are very important, they should stem from a process within, expressing something genuine, rather than simply providing an outer veneer to the latest fads. Occult communities do go through fads, and if you’ve been around for long enough, you see the rise and fall in popularity of particular cultures, goddesses, and techniques over short periods of time. The internet makes the process that much faster.

There is also a movement of constant validation in the very bright and very dark, where one seeks to only confirm what is already believed. If that is your only motivation for learning, you have missed the point entirely. Too often those seeking, myself included when I began the path, come from a place of low self-esteem and disempowerment, and the articles, blogs, books, and teachers that simply affirm how wonderful you are already are very enticing. Of course you arewonderful as you are, but the process to truly understand and integrate that understanding is yours, and it cannot be given easily by another. Validation can be addicting when we have few other sources of approval, and no sense of internal approval, but the true process is catalyzed within and moves out from there.

The structure, discipline, and apparent rules of the lower levels give way to deeper freedom, flexibility, and open-ended, self-chosen challenges once we know the foundations are in place. We enter into the order of sister/brother/otherhood that provides both mutual support and mutual challenge. We often say you need to know the rules to break them, in the same way that avant-garde musicians are often well-versed in the classics. Rather than repeatedly reinventing what has come before, we root ourselves so we can take it further. I remember as a self-taught musician when I “discovered” the 7th chord and was so excited, not realizing it was a fairly basic idea. Studying music with professional educators helped widen my palette of choices when I wrote and deepened my understanding of the line of musicians and musical history that I was participating in now.

Much of what we do can seem like “basic Wicca” because in this day, many savvy practitioners in voice and knowledge lack the fundamental basics of successful spellcasting, psychic ability, and meditation. While our heart is on the mysteries of magick, doing successful operative magick and experiencing verified psychic experience are gateway mysteries. They can ground us from mystical delusion and religious fervor further down the path. Those simply seeking religion, and the validation of a religious community, don’t need to practice the occult arts. And that is fine. But someone with that philosophy should brand themselves as a practitioner without practice. While some are naturally gifted, savants in other arts, they often cannot easily transmit the teaching to others because it comes so naturally to them. To find mastery, most of us have to pick a general path, dig a well, and make the time for progress, even in the times when it feels boring. Any of us who have put the work into our craft have developed lifelong skills, even if we have given up ambitions for that art. Those of us who have had piano lessons and practice our scales and exercises can often still pick up a piece of music and play it without much effort. Older athletes engage a muscle memory, and even out of shape, can have greater success due to the previous hours put into their sport.

Like slow-melting ice, the constant work prevents it from refreezing and leads to a breakthrough. Haphazard work can lead to the illusion of breakthrough. If you look at most occult and esoteric traditions, this is what divides the future adept from the dabbler and leads to greater mastery. We seek to increase those who in their own way, in their own time, and with the support of tradition and community, come into their own mastery and share what they have learned so we can all grow further together.