Sorita d'Este's Amazon Blog

Having just launched our book “Hekate Liminal Rites” which has an entire chapter dedicated to Hekate in the context of love magics and charms, I was speaking to a friend about the bad reputation of love magic and charms earlier this week.  Within the modern pagan movement it seems that love spells are one of those taboos, which if you go ahead and do it will nearly always lead to problems.   Having written a book collecting love charms some years ago, which was lost (!!) due to a computer disaster, I have looked at such charms rather extensively in different sources.  From the popular divinations done by peeling an apple, or throwing nuts in the fire in order to know the name of a future spouse, to some far more complex and downright weird customs.

Having thought about it, I wonder whether it is that love spells tend to go wrong because they are often ill thought out, emotionally driven without a clear focus?  Maybe it is the execution of the spell which is the root of the problem, or is it the moral thought of forcing someone to love against their free will?  (But how often are we manipulated and the manipulated in other things in our lives?)

Many of the spells listed in grimoires distinguish between different types of spells for love, and are very honest (for the practitioner, but rarely will the intended recipient be aware of it, of course)  and to the point.  There are often spells and charms for love, for sex and for friendship, and they tend to be straightforward and simple.  The following are a couple of examples from “A Collection of Magical Secrets” (edited by David Rankine)

To Make Yourself Loved By A Woman

Take one or two hairs from the head of this woman and from them, make a candle out of virgin wax and write your name in this wax and when you light it and you should get some results. When you see this woman, say “Tuffro, Daffiel, Aspel” in a low voice.

or one from “Hekate Liminal Rites” which is rather interesting:

Thus in the following request, where Hekate was addressed by the title of Kourotrophos, an older man asked the goddess to direct a younger woman’s attention in his direction:

“Hear me as I pray Kourotrophos.  Grant that this woman may refuse the affection and bed of young men, but let her find joy in old men with wizened temples, whose strength is blunted but whose desire remains keen.”

To Make Yourself Loved

Take three leaves of sage and write, “Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus Dominus” on them. After that, let them dry out and reduce them to a powder and with your own hands make the person, whom you wish to be loved by, swallow the powder.

So why do we feel uncomfortable with spells for love and lust?

Today is the official launch date for Hekate Liminal Rites, so for us that is excitement all round.  As part of our celebration of the launch of this book we decided to go looking for all three the animals featured in the cover image, which is by the artist Joanna Barnum and features the Goddess Hekate in her triple form with the heads of three animals.  So today, we decided to start our journey by visiting a friend who has a collection of snakes this morning, then next we visited a neighbour with a wolfy-looking dog and finally decided that as it is glorious sunny day to head into the Brecon Beacons to look for wild horses, and were rewarded just a few miles from our home when we spotted these stunning wild animals:

It might not be completely clear from the photographs, but several of the mare’s are heavily pregnant and will probably be giving birth in the very near future.  How liminal is that?

Dear all,

It is a pleasure to let you know that my latest book, HEKATE LIMINAL RITES, co-written with David Rankine, is now available for pre-order from Avalonia Books.  This book will be of particular interest to those of you who have an interest in the Greek Goddess Hekate, or who have an interest in working with her or incorporating practical magical techniques from the ancient world into your practices today.  Hekate Liminal Rites is a collection of arcane practices, spells and symbols associated with this awesome Goddess, drawn from historical literature, archeology, charms and many other sources, as such it is different from all the previous books published on this Goddess to date, complimenting them rather than repeating the same information.  (And that includes my own “HEKATE KEYS TO THE CROSSROADS” the anthology I edited a few years back).

The official information follows, you can find further information, together with details of how to pre-order at http://www.avaloniabooks.co.uk/catalogue/titles/he kate_liminalrites.htm.   I have written several blogs about some of the research we did, and will be writing a few with extracts from the book in the coming week or so - so check this site for details of that in the archives and subscribe to the rss feed to be kept up to date.
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HEKATE LIMINAL RITES
By Sorita d’Este & David Rankine

“At the crossroads of life, death and rebirth stands the Goddess Hekate. Honoured by men, women and gods alike, traces of her ancient provenance reach back through the millennia providing clues about her nature and origins along the way. Depictions of her as three formed facing in three ways, sometimes with the heads of animals such as the horse, dog and snake hint at her liminal nature, as well as the powers she holds over the triple realms of earth, sea and sky.

The sorcery of Medea and Circe, the witchcraft of the women of Thessaly, the writings of philosophers such as Hesiod and Porphyry all provide glimpses into the world of those who honoured her. Her magical powers were considered so great that even King Solomon became associated with her, she was incorporated into Jewish magic, and merged with other goddesses including Artemis, Selene, Bendis and the Egyptian Isis. Whilst for some she was the Witch Goddess, for others she was the ruler of angels and daimons, who made predictions about Jesus and Christianity.

Wherever you look, be it in the texts of Ancient Greece and Rome, Byzantium or the Renaissance, the Greek Magical Papyri or the Chaldean Oracles, you will find Hekate. The magical whir of the strophalos and the barbarous words of the voces magicae carry her message; the defixiones, love spells and charms all provides us with examples of the magic done in her name. She was also associated with the magic of death, including necromancy and reanimation; as well as prophetic dreams, nightmares, healing herbs and poisons. The temples dedicated to her and the important role she played in the mysteries of Eleusis, Samothrace and Aigina all provide us with clues to her majesty. The popular shrines at the doorways of ordinary people, offerings left at the crossroads and guardian statues of her at the entrance ways to cities and temples all attest to her status in the hearts and minds of those who knew her mysteries.

In this book the authors draw from a wide range of sources, bringing together historical research which provides insights into the magical and religious practices associated with this remarkable Goddess. In doing so they provide an indispensable guide for those wishing to explore the mysteries of Hekate today.”

Further information, including a Table of Contents at http://www.avaloniabooks.co.uk/catalogue/titles/he kate_liminalrites.htm

The Wiccan Rede “An it harm none, do what ye will” is a popular saying today and some Wiccan teachers even claim that you have to adhere to the Wiccan Rede in order to BE Wiccan.  Gerald Gardner did not write about the Wiccan Rede in his books, but he did write about the morality of witches in a way which suggests a “proto” Rede or knowledge of what has become known as the Wiccan Rede (which incidently is just the eight words, not that twee poem published everywhere!).

So what did Gerald Gardner say about morality?  In Wicca Magickal Beginnings David and I address this writing:

“Witches “… are inclined to the morality of the legendary Good King Pausol, ‘Do what you like so long as you harm no one…’”.  (Gerald Gardner, in The Meaning of Witchcraft)

Gardner’s comments in The Meaning of Witchcraft indicate that he took at least some of his inspiration from King Pausol.  But who was King Pausol?  Searching for him revealed Pierre Lou˙s’s work of 1901, The Adventures of King Pausole which seems to be what Gardner was writing about, making an error in the spelling of his name.  In this book the character of King Pausole recommends that one should: “Do no wrong or harm to thy neighbour, and observing this, do as thou please.” “

[From Wicca Magickal Beginnings, Sorita d'Este & David Rankine, Avalonia Second Edition 2008]

Of course the Wiccan Rede and other moral ideas found in the Wiccan Tradition has a number of influences in adition to the wrtings of Pierre Louys.  These include Aleister Crowley’s “Law of Thelema” which itself was inspired by the writings of Francois Rabelais.  It is possible that Lou˙s also took inspiration from Rabelais, or even that Crowley may have read Lou˙s - though that would largely be speculation.

In this series of blogs I am writing on the history of Wiccan practices, ritual and belief, drawing from the book Wicca Magickal Beginnings I co-authored with David, it is probably necessary for me to look a little into the usage of the term “Witch” as definitions of terms and the different traditions, different interpretations of the word has been at the heart of many debates over the years.  I still occasionally hear some misguided Wiccan initiates refer to themselves as the “only true witches”.  They also often argue that all Witches ARE Pagan and that you can’t be a Christian or a Jew and practice Witchcraft.   What nonsense!

Much of this is probably due to a misinterpretation of the application of the term “Wicca” which for a while in the 80’s and 90’s were used exclusively for the initiated varieties of Wicca with roots going back to either Gerald Gardner or Alex and Maxine Sanders via initiatory lineage.  Unfortunately this well intended distinction would not last long - and became muddled with the original terminology of “Witchcraft” and “The Craft” and there are as a result some naive individuals who believe these terms to all be interchangeable, which they are of course from a historical point of view. However,  ultimately words often come to have different applications (cliche, but take “gay” as a good example, - someone who is happy?  or someone who is homosexual? ).  So lets not get stuck on that.

Without clarity about the meaning of words we use, we sound like idiots babbling on about nonsense to the outside world.  And this, rather than the “dark mysterious dangerous image of witchcraft” is probably what is still one of the bigger obstacles in the way of mainstream recognition, and more importantly respect from the rest of the world for traditions such as Wicca, and the plethora of other modern Pagan traditions.

Ironically the idea that there can be Witches with different religions have long been an accepted truth.  (and if you really think about it, do you know two witches who share exactly the same religious ideas anyway?).  This is a short quotation from Wicca Magickal Beginnings giving an example from the early part of the 18th century:

“Indeed, when even writers of the past have categorised witches into a range of different categories, from Nicolàs Eymerich in the fourteenth century to Francis Hutchinson in the early eighteenth century, we realise that the term witch is likely to always remain a loaded one with many negative connotations.

“A Hebrew Witch, a Pagan Witch, a Lapland Witch, an Indian Witch, a Protestant Witch, and a Popish Witch, are different from one another; some in Honour, and some in Disgrace.”[1]

[1] An Historical Essay Concerning Witchcraft: With Observations Upon Matters of Fact, Hutchinson, 1718″

[Short extract from Wicca Magickal Beginnings, by Sorita d'Este  & David Rankine, Second Edition 2008]

So if you are a practitioner of magic, who wants to use the term Witch, but who does not subscribe to the idea that Witches HAVE to be Pagan - then go ahead, name yourself as a “witch” and do so knowing that its not a “new age fluffy bunny” idea.

My post on the origins of the word Athame, with an extract from Wicca Magickal Beginnings,  has proven to be very popular.  Quite a few people have commented here, on facebook and by email that they didn’t realise that it had such a magickl origin - which is rather pleasing as it is the reason that David and I wrote the book - there is a lot of real magic and history in the Wiccan tradition when we start looking beyond the personalities and their own personal interpretations of things (often based on heresay, and then responsible for more heresay in turn, perpetuating the same old, same old!).  It is clear from some examples, the Gerald Gardner probably got some inspiration for elaborating on the rituals he was introduced to from published books on magic and witchcraft (its a myth that his was the first book on Witchcraft to be published!) and that the Key of Solomon compilation published by Macgregor Mathers would have been one of the sources used.

The passage that follow is from “Wicca Magickal Beginnings” and is  concerned not only with the first use of the word by Gardner for the ritual dagger, but also with the inscription of the term “Azoth”.  This is one of numerous examples of the Key of Solomon playing an important role in Wicca, and I would suggest that those of you reading this who are unfamiliar with the Key of Solomon and the Grimoire Tradition and who would like to find out more go and read some of the articles at GUIDE TO THE GRIMOIRES.

“The first source for the athame in Gardner’s writings is his novel High Magic’s Aid.  An examination of the symbols shown on the illustration of the athame in High Magic’s Aid clearly indicates Mathers’ Key of Solomon as his primary source.  We know that Gardner reproduced his illustrations from Mathers published Key of Solomon because they include a change made by Mathers and not found in any of the source manuscripts Mathers drew upon.  In the preface of his Key of Solomon, Mathers wrote:

“In some places I have substituted the word AZOTH for ‘Alpha and Omega,’ e.g., on the blade of the Knife with the Black Hilt.”

Gardner’s illustration of the athame blade contains the word Azoth, as substituted by Mathers, and the Hebrew divine names Yah (IH) and Elohim (ALHIM).  These three words comprise the shorter top line of the two lines of names found on the blade of the black-handled knife in Mathers’ Key of Solomon.  Although subsequent images of the athame markings do not include any lettering on the blade, it is nonetheless relevant to look at these divine names and explore their significance.

Azoth is a composite word used in medieval alchemy and subsequently in the magickal traditions of the Western Mystery Tradition.  Its symbolism lies in its use of letters, representing the beginning and end.  It is usually written with a Hebrew Aleph, the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet corresponding to the English letter ‘A’ and the Greek letter Alpha.  The letter Z is next, followed by the Greek Omega (?) and the Hebrew Tav.  All of these letters are the last in their respective alphabets.  Azoth thus symbolises the beginning and end, and as a result all that lies within.  It represents perfection and for this reason it is easy to see why Mathers should have substituted it for the divine name of ‘Alpha and Omega’, which also represents beginning and end (as the letters of the Greek alphabet).  In alchemy this term also represented the Mercurial essence, part of the process of creating the Philosopher’s Stone.

(Extract from “The Real Witches Weapon” in Wicca Magickal Beginnings, by Sorita d’Este and David Rankine, Second Edition Avalonia 2008)

In response to my post “The Charge of the Goddess & Aleister Crowley” earlier today, I have had a surge of responses, both by email and as direct responses to my facebook note (a copy of the blog entry).  Overwhelmingly positive, there has been a couple of people who thought that what I posted didn’t prove anything in regards to the influence of the controversial magician Aleister Crowley on the Charge of the Goddess and that I was maybe jumping to conclusions.  I did not post the most obvious section of the Charge, that is true, instead I chose something which fitted my mood this morning.

For those of you who need something a bit more obvious, here is another extract from the chapter on “Drawing Down the Moon” in our book Wicca Magickal Beginnings :

“Drawing Down the Moon begins with the High Priest invoking the goddess into the High Priestess.  He does this with a combination of words, gestures and intent.  The invocation to the goddess used for the Drawing Down the Moon ceremony, now widely published, goes something like this, with minor wording variations:

“I invoke Thee and call upon Thee, Great Mother of us all,

Bringer of all fruitfulness,

By seed and root and bud and stem,

By leaf and flower and fruit,

By life and love do I invoke Thee

To descend into the body of this

Thy servant and High Priestess.”

This was clearly part inspired by Crowley’s Gnostic Mass which contains the phrase “By seed and root and stem and bud and leaf and flower and fruit do we invoke Thee”.[1] It is likely that Crowley took at least some of his inspiration in writing this piece from the poem Song of Proserpine by the early nineteenth century poet Percy Bysshe Shelley:

“Sacred Goddess, Mother Earth,

Thou from whose immortal bosom

Gods and men and beasts have birth,

Leaf and blade, and bud and blossom,

Breathe thine influence most divine

On thine own child, Proserpine.”

Another possible source for some of the wording in this opening invocation of the goddess is the Qabalah.  The phrase ‘mother of us all’ which is used in the invocation refers to the Shekinah, or divine feminine, and may be drawn from MacGregor Mathers’ nineteenth century work The Kabbalah Unveiled:

“From Her do they receive their nourishment, and from Her do they receive blessing; and She is called the Mother of them all.”

Another component of the Drawing Down the Moon ceremony which follows on from the invocation is a speech sometimes known as the ‘Hail Aradia’ speech.  This is based directly on a poem by Crowley entitled La Fortuna and dedicated to Tyche (the Greek goddess of Fortune), published as part of his 1907 work Rodin in Rime, written in praise of the artist’s work, and illustrated by Rodin, with whom Crowley was friends:

“Hail Tyche!  From the Amalthean horn

Pour forth the store of love!

I lowly bend before thee:

I invoke thee at the end

When other gods are fallen and put to scorn.

Thy foot is to my lips; my signs unborn

Rise, touch and curl about thy heart; they spend

Pitiful love.  Lovlier pity, descend

And bring me luck who am lonely and forlorn.”

[1] Gnostic Mass, Crowley, 1913

The above is of course in relation to the actual invocations which are done, prior to the “Charge of the Goddess” is spoken.  But just for those doubting thomas’s who prefer to think that Mr Gardner and Ms Valiente had a cuppa tea whilst writing the prose for the “Charge of the Goddess” - here is another extract from Chapter 11 “Adore the Spirit of Me” in Wicca Magickal Beginnings, which again shows clearly how the popular version of The Charge of the Goddess is without a doubt inspired (! lets be polite and not call it plagarism?) by the writings of that beastly Aleister Crowley:

“Keep pure your highest ideal. Strive ever towards it. Let naught stop you or turn you aside. “

Again this line draws straight from the Law of Liberty, where Crowley wrote: “Keep pure your highest ideal; strive ever toward it, without allowing aught to stop you or turn you aside.” This key line refers to the concept of the true will, and doing only what is right to achieve your full potential.

(the underlined text is from the Wiccan Charge)

[Extract from Wicca Magickal Beginnings, by Sorita d'Este & David Rankine, Avalonia Second Edition 2008]

The examples above are very obvious examples of Crowley’s work as incorporated without question into Wiccan liturgy - and are examples which have been discussed by other researchers before us, though not (to my knowledge) in quite as much detail.  There are many more examples of some of Crowley’s less well known and more obscure prose making it into the Book of Shadows which we discuss in the book.  The volume of it is phenomenal - though what is equally phenomenal is the quantity of material from the grimoire tradition which made it into the Wiccan Tradition, both from well known and easily obtainable books such as the Mather’s compilation “Key of Solomon” but also from other lesser known sources, hinting that it was a developing tradition, rather than one which was compiled in a short period of time.

I have many bugbears with the Wiccan tradition, especially in some of its modern variations, which often seems to have lost touch with its true origins.  So this is another post in a series on my blog in which I will explore just some of the ideas found in the Wiccan Book of Shadows, and which has now been adapted and adopted by other Pagan traditions.

One of the most famous and loved pieces of prose from Gerald Gardner’s Book of Shadows, which has been published, is the Charge of the Goddess.

Although the Charge of the Goddess is often attributed to Doreen Valiente, a lady who was a High Priestess trained by Gerald Gardner in the 1950’s who subsequently went on to explore a number of different pagan and witchcraft traditions, research seems to point at something different.  At the best, Doreen Valiente was responsible for compiling lines of prose from the work of other authors (today this is a popular practice for many people who are writing ceremonies for private groups, after all those rituals are not meant to be published!) - and even though Ms. Valiente claimed that she removed material from the controversial magician Aleister Crowley from an earlier Charge, now known as “Lift up the Veil” - it would seem that she largely replaced Crowley with more Crowley.  Strange but true, here is an example:

A favourite line which is often quoted by people who have read the Charge of the Goddess is:

“For mine is the ecstasy of the Spirit, and mine is also joy on earth. For my Law is Love unto all beings.”

The latter part of this line comes from Crowley’s Law of Liberty, quoting “ecstasy be thine and joy of earth” (AL I.53) and “love is the law” (AL I.57).  Although these pieces are pulled out of context and put together, it is worth noting that the beginnings of the two relevant verses are “This shall regenerate the world” (AL I.53) and “Invoke me under my stars!” (AL I.57), both concepts of great relevance to the Wiccan tradition, and also hinting at their union in the Orphic Oath of “I am a child of earth and starry heaven.” So although seemingly out of context, this line retains a great deal of relevant symbolism, even if quite concealed.

This phrase is an inspirational one, as can be seen by the following quote from the nineteenth century English poet and literary critic John Addington Symonds, “The mania of Plato was a permanent ecstasy of the spirit, in which love led the way to heaven, and raised a man above himself.”[1]

We may also note the occurrence of the phrase ‘ecstasy of the spirit’ in the writings of the late fifteenth century poet John Skelton, when he wrote in a way which strongly resembles the reincarnation theme found in the Charge, “ls it possible that in some such passionate ecstasy of the spirit we pass through death into the life beyond death?”[2] Skelton also mentioned the triplicity of Diana, Luna and Persephone in his work Garland of Laurels in 1523 when he wrote “Diana in the leaves green, Luna that so bright doth sheen, Persephone in hell”.

[1] An Introduction to the Study of Dante, Symonds, 1890

[2] Essays in Romance and Studies from Life, Skelton, 1878

[Extract from Wicca Magickal Beginnings, Sorita d'Este & David Rankine, Avalonia Second Edition 2008]

I feel that it is important for those who practice a system of spirituality and who name themselves as “Wicca” (from the old word for “Wise”) to seek wisdom, and wisdom comes through both knowledge and experience.  Is it not time for us to be honest about the origins of the Wiccan Tradition - after all, most of it really does have ancient roots, and a rich and beautiful tapestry of cultural and magical history.