The Real Witches’ Handbook: The Definitive Handbook of Advanced Magical Techniques. Kate West

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СКАЧАТЬ we have the choice and ability to change our behaviour in our future. To do this we must first of all understand ourselves and what makes us react the way we do. Say you come from a background where physical punishment (for example smacking) was used to deter bad behaviour, it is possible that this is the way you will react when your own children are naughty, but you can choose not to react in this way. If on the last two occasions you told your friend a secret they let it out and you had a fight, you can choose to avoid this next time by not telling your friend, rather than blaming them for being loose-tongued. If you drink too much alcohol and do something stupid you cannot blame the drink – you drank it. All these are elements of personal responsibility.

      Another aspect of this is taking responsibility for the effect you have on other people – but only so far as your responsibility goes. As an example, if you are in a relationship with someone who is very attached to you, but you no longer feel strongly for them, then obviously your responsibility is to end the relationship. If you take to heart the Wiccan Rede, then you will do so as gently as possible, without causing unnecessary pain, whilst still being as honest as you can. However, if that person then runs off and joins the army and gets killed in action, whilst it is natural to feel some guilt, that is not your personal responsibility. Their feelings and subsequent actions are their personal responsibilities. Choosing to do what is right for yourself regardless of how others may feel at first seems very harsh. But it is an important part of personal responsibility to be personally honest and in the long term it does a lot less harm than pretending to be someone you are not or to feel something you do not.

      Furthermore, personal responsibility includes knowing when not to get involved in the affairs of others. Imagine that your best friend has split up with her partner and comes to you with a tale of woe, telling you how badly he treated her. Of course you can sympathize and comfort her, but what you should not do is then rush round to everyone you know spreading stories about what a nasty person he is and how he should be avoided. First, you only know one side of the story and however honest you think your friend is, her perceptions will be coloured by her feelings, especially in the heat of the moment. Secondly, whatever happened in their relationship is their personal responsibility, not yours. Your responsibility as a friend involves being there for your friend, not in being everywhere else and stirring up everyone else. This is very hard to achieve, especially when someone close to you feels seriously offended, but wisdom often lies in doing less, not more.

      THE WICCAN REDE

      One of the ways in which personal responsibility is emphasized is through the Wiccan Rede. This is the rule that Witches strive to follow and by which they measure their actions. As mentioned before, it is a positive morality, rather than a set of ‘don’ts’ or ‘shalt nots’. The Rede comes in many forms, some poetic, some lengthy, but however it is expressed, it always contains the same key phrase at its heart: ‘An’ it harm none, do what thou will.’ This rather archaic phrasing (often modernized to ‘And it harm none, do what you will’) simply means that you should do what is right for you in your life, but that in doing so you should try not to hurt others. Now obviously there are times when doing what is personally right will almost certainly hurt someone else, but here you are required to make your own moral judgement – to consider, accept and live with the consequences.

      PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

      As a Witch, you are also responsible for your own personal development, for fulfilling your own potential. This means continuing your development throughout your life. It may mean taking up some form of adult education, whether to make up for opportunities lost or to set out in a new direction. If you find yourself headed in a direction which is wrong for you, then you are responsible for changing course! It does mean working at obtaining all the skills that you need to make your life as fulfilled as possible. Above all it means that if you decide on the path of the Witch, you are responsible for learning and growing on that path. You cannot expect others to do it for you or to you. You must seek the teacher(s), you must ask the questions and you must expect to set the pace.

      In the Craft this means that you will need to choose the specialities you wish to learn, find the books and set your own time scale for taking on new knowledge and skills. You may not find the ‘right’ teacher for some time after you have made the decision to walk this path, so it is up to you to start work immediately. Many believe that the teacher does not appear until the student is ready.

      If, in time, you do find a group or Coven to work with, the High Priestess will not tell you what to learn and when. She will not give you any more help than you ask for and she will certainly not do the work for you. If you seek to learn she will guide you in your studies, but she will expect you to be the driving force.

      WE ARE EACH OUR OWN PRIEST OR PRIESTESS

      Linked to this is the belief that every individual has the right and the ability to communicate with the divine for themselves, that we do not need an intermediary to intercede or interpret our Gods and Goddesses for us. We do not need a specialist ‘priestly caste’ to tell us who, what, why, how and when to worship, as we are capable of making these decisions for ourselves.

      THE ELEMENTS

      The ancients believed that all nature was made up from the elements of Earth, Air, Fire and Water. Witches believe that these elements, together with the fifth element of Spirit, make up ourselves and the world around us. We believe that these elements are very real energies which we can access by understanding the way that they work within us and around us. The elements represent different aspects of our being: Earth is our physical selves, our flesh, blood and bones; Air is our thoughts; Fire is our passions and enthusiasms; Water our emotions; Spirit is the force or energy which is ourselves.

      The five energies are represented in the pentacle which is worn by many Witches and which often appears on the Altar at rituals. The idea that the reversed, upside-down pentacle is linked to Satanism has its roots in Hollywood and popular fiction. In the UK and elsewhere, the reversed pentacle indicates the Horned God, the male aspect of fertility, or in some traditions the second-degree Witch.

      The elements are also linked to the points of the compass and the seasons of the year. They have colours, sounds, scents, flowers, animals, birds and trees ascribed to them, as well as many other links which are often referred to as correspondences. There are correspondences for almost everything including the signs of the Zodiac, the days of the week and the hours of the day. They are often used in Magical workings, both in the Craft and in other Magical traditions, to help to achieve results. The Traditional Craft does not rely so much upon them as some other paths.

      To understand how correspondences work it can help to think of this in terms of rowing up a river. If the wind, current and tide are all in your favour, you will make faster and easier progress than if one or more is against you. Even if all those things are against you, you can still reach your destination, it will just require more effort and strength. Similarly, if you use candles, cloths, oils and incense related to the element with which you are working, then you may find it easier to gain the desired result. The use of correspondences, however, will not make up for lack of focus, practice and ability.

      THE SABBATS AND WHEEL OF THE YEAR

      Witches СКАЧАТЬ