Circle Talk 4 Witches

2.08 Wicca as a Living Tradition

In this month’s episode we discuss the idea of Traditional Wicca as a “Living Tradition,” one that is continually evolving through time and practices while still remaining true to its core as an Initiatory, ritual-based practice. Our views on this are in contrast to some other Initiates, an expected and welcome consequence of coven autonomy. Room for differences is one of the things that makes Alexandrian Witchcraft so fantastic and vibrant.

 

References:

Witches' Way: Principles, Ritual and Beliefs of Modern Witchcraft - Stewart and Janet Farrar

Wicca Covens - Judy Harrow

2.07 Great Rite

Join us as we continue our exploration of magic and ritual associated with the sabbats. In this episode we discuss the Great Rite, both symbolic and literal. We consider conventional and stereotypical understandings of this Rite and attempt to explain how the energy of the Great Rite is for everyone and how its meaning goes far beyond the obvious.

 

Resources:

Witch's Bible: A Complete Witch's Handbook

Transformative Witchcraft by Jason Mankey

High Magic's Aid by Gerald Gardner

All Acts of Love & Pleasure: Inclusive Wicca by Yvonne Aburrow

Fertility and the Pagan Revival - Jack Chanek

2.06 Egregores

Episode 26 is a continuation of our discussion that started in episode 24. We dive into the idea of a coven “setting” and why that is important, before launching into exploring egregore in Wicca: what is it? Is there more than one egregore? Can egregores be changed? Why do they matter, anyway? To find out, break out the Brasso, slice up the tomato bread, and dig into our newest episode…

Meditation and the Equinox

Hail, and welcome, everyone, to episode 25 - “Equini” (even though we know it’s ‘equinoxes’ 😛) Sabbat Special and Meditation. In this episode, we discuss the practices of meditation and how they relate to the equinoxes. How do we practise meditation? It is just as simple as sitting still in the lotus position? Are there other ways to practise meditation? How does a regular meditation practice benefit a coven? Listen in as we discuss a variety of techniques that we use personally and in our coven work.

 

References, Notes, and Links:

Jason Miller’s books

Qabalah for Wiccans, by Jack Chanek

Lemon Visualisation

Keys to Perception, by Ivo Dominguez

Trance-Portation, by Diana Paxson

Wiccan Life podcasts by Lusete (for guided visualisations)

2.04 Ritual Triggers & Beyond the Robes

In this episode we begin to discuss practices in our circles including effective ritual triggers and skyclad practice. We ran out of time in our discussion so look forward to part two where we'll discuss how different practices impact the coven egregore. 

2.03 Imbolc/Lammas Magic: Purification

Circle Talk continues to circle back through the sabbats, this time revisiting Imbolc/Candlemas/Lammas and their associations with rites and practices of purification (ironically along with a lot of very impure language from Gi).

Join us for conversations on smoke cleansing, fire cleansing, water cleansing, broom tips, and lots of laughs! 

Blessed sabbat!

2.02 Books!

Welcome to our second episode of season 2! In this episode we finally talk about books!... Well, actually we've been doing that all along, haven't we? 

In any event, this is an attempt at giving a more organized list. We discuss recommended reading lists for Seekers, our coven members, and from what we're enjoying now. Before you listen you may want to be ready to make a list for your library or favorite bookstore!

List of books we mentioned:

On Alexandrian Wicca and/or Alex Sanders

A Coin for the Ferryman by Jimahl di Fiosa

A Witches' Bible: The Complete Witches' Handbook by Janet & Stewart Farrar

Eight Sabbats for Witches by Janet & Stewart Farrar

King of the Witches: The World of Alex Sanders - by June Johns

What Witches Do by Janet & Stewart Farrar

 

On BTW

High Magic’s Aid - Gerald Gardner

Principles of Wicca - Vivianne Crowley

Traditional Wicca: A Seeker’s Guide - Thorn Mooney

Wicca for Beginners: Fundamentals of Philosophy & Practice - Thea Sabin

Wicca. The Old Religion in the New Millennnium by Vivianne Crowley

 

On History

Blood and Mistletoe: The History of the Druids in Britain by Ronald Hutton 

Circle of Fire - David Rankine & Sorita D’Este

Fifty Years Of Wicca by Frederic Lamond

In Search of the New Forest Coven - Philip Heselton

Wicca Magickal Beginnings: A Study of the Possible Origins of the Rituals and Practices Found in this Modern Tradition of Pagan Witchcraft and Magick - David Rankine & Sorita D’Este

Trials of the Moon: Reopening the Case for Historical Witchcraft. A critique of Ronald Hutton's The Triumph of the Moon: A History of Modern Pagan Witchcraft by Ben Whitmore

The Triumph of the Moon: A History of Modern Pagan Witchcraft by Ronald Hutton 

 

On Coven Work

Coven Craft by Amber K

A Teaching Handbook for Wiccans and Pagans: Practical Guidance for Sharing Your Path by Thea Sabin  

Wicca Covens by Judy Harrow

 

On Life & Supporting Others

As the Last Leaf Falls - Kristoffer Hughes

Do I Have to Wear Black - Mortellus

Pagan Book of Living and Dying by Starhawk

 

Skills & New Practices

Crafting a Daily Practice: Revised - T. Thorn Coyle

Keys to Perception by Ivo Dominguez Jr.

Consorting with Spirits Your Guide to Working with Invisible Allies - Jason Miller

Lifting the Veil: A Witches' Guide to Trance-Prophesy, Drawing Down the Moon, and Ecstatic Ritual by Janet Farrar and Gavin Bone

Magical Power For Beginners: How to Raise & Send Energy for Spells That Work by Deborah Lipp

Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom: A Tarot Journey to Self-Awareness by Rachel Pollack 

Tarot for Real Life: Use the Cards to Find Answers to Everyday Questions by Jack Chanek

The Poison Path Herbal: Baneful Herbs, Medicinal Nightshades, and Ritual Entheogens - Coby Michael

Trance-Portation: Learning to Navigate the Inner World by Diana L. Paxson

 

Qabalah

(The) Mystical Qabalah by Dion Fortune

Qabalah for Wiccans: Ceremonial Magic on the Pagan Path by Jack Chanek 

 

On Ritual Practices

Elements of Ritual - Deb Lipp

All Acts of Love and Pleasure: Inclusive Wicca by Yvonne Aburrow 

Inner Mysteries: Progressive Witchcraft and Connection to the Divine by Janet Farrar and Gavin Bone 

The Witch Compass: Working with the Winds in Traditional Witchcraft by Ian Chambers and Griffin Ced

 

Other

Loki and Sigyn: Lessons on Chaos, Laughter & Loyalty from the Norse Gods by Lea Svendsen

Merry Meet Again: Lessons, Life & Love on the Path of a Wiccan High Priestess – by Deborah Lipp 

The Tao of Pooh by Benjamin Hoff

Wicca for Beginners by Thea Sabin

 

Fiction

Hogfather by Terry Pratchett

Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah Mass Market Paperback by Richard Bach

The Orphan's Tales: In the Night Garden by Catherynne M. Valente

The Saxon tales by Bernard Cornwell

The Tiffany Aching discworld books by Terry Pratchett

The Witches discworld books by Terry Pratchett

 

Library Apps

Libby App

Hoopla App

2.01 Solstice Special: Trance Induction

Happy solstice (whichever one you happen to be celebrating!) and welcome, everyone, to Season 2 of Circle Talk for Witches. After our hiatus, we bring you our first sabbat special of the season: Solstice Magic - Trance Induction.

 

Last season these specials focussed on what we do for the sabbats in the northern and southern hemispheres. For season two, we want to focus on different types and ways of magic. 

 

The bad news? The audio for this one is a little choppy due to a bad connection somewhere that we didn’t notice at the time. The good news, though, is that our NEXT episode - and the first full episode for this season - is sounding much better already, with the gods of the internet smiling on us once more.

 

Happy Solstice from all of us!

 

References, Notes, and Links:

Gardner, G (1954). Witchcraft Today.

1.20 Samhain Magic

And so the Wheel has spun full circle! Welcome to our last episode of Season 1, folks! For the next turn of the Wheel, we’re concentrating on magic and witchcraft that can be performed around each of the Sabbats. For this episode, we concentrate on Samhain (with a smidge of Bel-tân (and all the other spellings of that Sabbat 😛)), and in particular, on binding, banishing, and warding. How do we perform all of these practices? Are they the same, or are there overlaps? How do we get Practical Magic and Brasso into *this* episode? And what sound do alligators and crocodiles make, and what are they protecting? Take a listen to find out in this, Episode 20 - Samhain Magic.

 

References, Notes, and Links:

Suggett, R (2008). A History of Magic and Witchcraft in Wales

Farrar, J; Bone, G (2016). Lifting the Veil: A Witches' Guide to Trance-Prophesy, Drawing Down the Moon, and Ecstatic Ritual

 

Youtube link to the CRAFT binding 

Seeking Witchcraft episode on Magical Hygiene (is it this one: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/shielding-warding-protective-magic/id1462656660?i=1000528179654)

YouTube mirror spell binding

The Australian Magical Research Project (witch bottles from 1800s): https://tasmagic.wordpress.com/ 

 

Songs for Samhain

• Samhain by Damh the Bard (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RcDLcQk1Ntg) 
• Angau by Siân James (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gweoI_YWuM4) which is yn Gymraeg - check the Facebook post thread for the lyrics in both Cymraeg and English

 

Peter’s old Welsh ‘curse’:

Crwydro y byddo am oesoedd lawer
Ac yn mhob cam, camfa;
Ym mhob camfa, codwm;
Ym mhob codwm, tori asgwrn;
Nid yr asgwrn mwyaf na'r lleiaf,
Ond asgwrn chwil corn ei wddw bob tro.

(May he wander for ages many; and at every step, a stile; at every stile, a fall; at every fall, a broken bone; not the largest, nor the smallest bone, but the chief neck bone, every time.)

 

ANGAU, Siân James - https://youtu.be/gweoI_YWuM4

Ar ryw noswaith yn fy ngwely – Upon some night in my bed

Ar hyd y nos yn ffaelu cysgu, - All through the night not able to sleep

Gan fod fy meddwl yn ddiame – Because my mind is beyond question

Yn cydfeddwl am fy siwrne. – Thinking about my journey

 

Galw am gawg a dŵr i ‘molchi – Calling for a bowl and water to wash with

Gan ddisgwyl hyn i fy sirioli; - Expecting this to cheer me up

Ond cyn rhoi deigryn ar fy ngruddiau – But before putting a tear on my cheeks

Ar fin y gawg mi welwn Angau – On the bowl’s edge I see Death

 

Mynd i’r eglwys i weddïo, - Go to church to pray

Gan dybio’n siŵr na ddeuai yno; - Assuming that he surely won’t come there

Ond cyn i mi godi oddi ar fy ngliniau, - But before I get up off my knees

Ar ben y fainc mi welwn Angau. – Upon the bench I see Death

 

Mynd i siambr glos i ymguddio, - Go to a nearby chamber to hide away

Gan dybio’n siŵr na ddeuai yno; - Assuming that he surely won’t come there

Ond er cyn closied oedd y siambr – But as close as the chamber was

Angau ddaeth o dan y ddaear. – Death came from beneath the earth

 

Mynd i’r môr a dechrau ymrwyfo, - Go to the sea and start to row

Gan dybio’n siŵr na fedrai nofio; - Assuming that he surely won’t be able to swim

Ond cyn cyrraedd dyfnion donnau – But before I got to the deep waves

Angau oedd y capten llongau. – Death was the marine captain

 

Ffarwel ferched, ffarwel feibion, - Farewell girls, farewell boys

Ffarwel holl ryganau gwyrddion; Farewell all green loves

Duw a faddau i mi ‘meiau, - God, forgive me my sins

Mynd sydd raid i ganlyn Angau. – I have to go and follow Death

1.19 Ritual Tools

A listener request episode, episode 19 brings you a discussion about tools of witchcraft. We talk about the stabby-boys, the pokey-boys, the swingy-boys, and everything else! How do we all pronounce the tool that begins with an ‘A’? What’s the difference between a censer and a thurible? And are all wands made equal? Do you need all the tools at the same time, or even at all to practise effective magic and witchcraft? Grab a cuppa, a glass of wine, or whatever your favourite tipple is, and take a listen to Episode 19 - Tools.

References, Notes, and Links:

Deborah Lipp’s The Elements of Ritual: Air, Fire, Water and Earth in the Wiccan Circle

Raymond Buckland’s Complete Book of Witchcraft (commonly called ‘Uncle Bucky’s Big Blue)

Jason Mankey’s The Witch’s Athame - The Craft, Lore, and Magick of Ritual Blades

Doreen Valiente’s Witchcraft for Tomorrow

Seeking Witchcraft’s episode on Crafting your Wand