WiccaLesson_ONE

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regenerated.
c. Traditionally the cauldron is made of cast copper or cast
iron, with a bail so that it could be suspended over a fire on a
tripod, and had three feet or legs in remem- brance of the Triple
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Goddess whose womb it represents.
(1) It is not unusual today to see a fire kindled inside of a
cauldron in deference to fire safety.
E. Altar Equipment
1. The Altar
a. Usually a table or some other handy item, which is large
enough to hold all the necessary equipment and flat enough to keep
everything from rolling off.
(1) Some traditions like to use a square or cube which
represents the material world, while others insist that it be round
like the circle.
(a) Square and rectangular shapes are also popular since
they are more common within the average home.
(b) As with so many other things, going with what you've
got and feel comfortable with, works just fine.
b. Some traditions feel that the altar top should be made of
slate or some other stone, while others prefer the light weight of
wood.
(1) If it is a permanent altar outside you might just want to
make it all out of stone and cement.
c. Something that is often overlooked is that the altar should
be tall enough not to give you a backache as you work over it.
d. Some people like to use different colored table runners or
cloths to cover the altar, while others prefer a 'bare' altar top.
(1) Personally, I prefer runners and cloths that are color
coordinated for the season and I am not above placing flowers and
fruits of the season on the altar.
2. Candles
a. There should be two candles on the altar for polarity.
(1) Depending on your orientation, you will want to use either
silver candlestick holders or gold, copper or some other solar metal.
(2) The candles represent the polarity of the Goddess and the
God.
(a) They should be either both white or one white and the
other red or black. White is for purity and black is for the shadow.
Red can be substituted for black if black has too many negative
connotations for you, since red represents the love and passion of the
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blood.
(b) It has been known for people to use red and green
candles, but I prefer to use white on the altar and colored candles
for the four Quarters of the circle.
3. Censer or Bowl of Incense
a. A censer can be as elaborate as those that the Catholic
Church employs or as practical as a small hanging pot from the garden
shed that has some sand in it to keep the incense from burning the
altar.
(1) Incense burners from curio shops are handy, but you should
be able to either pick them up or place sticks of incense in them.
(a) I prefer to use incense burners that have three legs in
accordance with the tradition associated wit the cauldron.
4. The Bell
a. The Bell is used to draw the Elementals, particularly the
Sylphs, to your rituals.
(1) Some people prefer bells with clappers while others like
bells that must be struck.
5. The Pentacle
a. Although we have already spoken of the Pentacle, it is
usually thought of as a piece of altar equipment, and so it is
mentioned it here.
6. Small Cauldron or Bowl of Water
a. It should be half-filled with spring water
(1) Typically, it is painted black on the inside if it is to
be used for scrying.
7. Vessel of Salt
a. Simply a bowl of salt to represent Earth.
8. Chalice or Drinking Horn
a. This is the cup from which you will drink a toast to the Lady
and Her Lord.
(1) It is a smaller version of the cauldron with all the
attendant symbolism.
(a) The Arthurian legends speak of the quest for the Holy
Grail, which was much older than Christianity.
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(b) One of the Mysteries attached to the Grail was that the
King and the land were one. If the king were to grow old and frail
without passing his kingdom along to a younger, more virile successor,
the land would wither and die.
(2) A major portion of any ritual involves the symbolic mating
of the Athame and Chalice, in recognition of the life forces of the
God and Goddess.
(a) While most traditions have the Priest wielding the
Athame and inserting it into the womb-chalice which is held by the
Priestess, I feel it is more meaningful to have the Priest and
Priestess exchange symbols and enact the rite as though they were on
the Astral Plane.
9. Statuary or Symbols
a. Some traditions use statuary of the Goddess and/or the God as
focal points for concentration.
(1) We do not worship the statues as embodiments of the
Goddess and the God, though they might take on the properties of being
a talismanic link between us and them.
(a) We do not worship the statues. Our goal is to invoke
the Goddess and the God into our hearts and minds, not into inert art.
b. Other traditions, still afraid of being accused of being
idolaters, will use symbols of the Goddess/God instead
(1) Moonstones and other stones with holes naturally worn into
them are sacred to the Goddess.
(a) Sometimes stones will be carved with occult markings,
of which only local initiates know the meanings. These are often
called 'mason marks' by those who do not understand the meaning of the
marks.
10. The Candle Snuffer
a. While technically not a tool of ritual, this is a carryover
from Ceremonial Magic.
(1) In Ceremonial Magic, where the world is seen as a
battleground between good and evil, the light of a candle represents
the purity of the Good, while darkness is seen as the evil of the Bad.
(a) To allow the pure flame of a candle to be blown out
supposedly weakens the effect of the flame, so Ceremonial Magicians
always snuff out the candle to show that they did so by an act of will
and not as a victory of the Bad over the Good.
b. It can be made of silver or brass, depending on your
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preference.
III. SYMBOLS USED TO CARICATURIZE WITCHES
A. Clothing
1. Each article of clothing associated with the witch has a long
and chequered history.
a. By the 17th century most witches were busy hiding while the
witch craze ran rampant across most of Europe.
(1) The majority of stereotypical clothing supposedly worn by
a witch was modeled on the style of clothing which was just going out
of style as the craze was gaining momentum.
(a) Not surprisingly, the older women who were tortured
into confessing that they were witches, tended to favor the mode of
dress which was going out of fashion.
2. The typical image of a witch shows a woman wearing a cone
shaped hat, wrapped in a cape with a girdle around her waist, gloves
in hand, and wearing long toed shoes.
a. We shall see that all these items were perfectly normal items
of clothing, which would not raise an eyebrow, unless the observer had
a twisted mind in the first place.
(1) The conical hat-
(a) These types of hats have been in fashion from time to [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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