Activity and Assignment 4

Concerning Activity-

There are only a few people that I've seen being active between the coven chatter and our forums. I want each person to post at least once a week to one thread, or to make a new one that holds helpful tips, reading suggestions, something. We need you guys to be active, without active members, there isn't a coven, and The council as well as I and the Priest won't know what information Needs to posted because we don't know where everyones level of experience is.


Assignment 4

Watch 1 video on youtube related to a magical subject. Leave the link, and Type up a short excerpt on any misinformation, or important information you think may have been left out. Also include how you feel about the subject, and maybe even any thing you would have personally done differently.

I couldn't decided which video to pick on youtube at first so I've decided to put in two different ones, The first one is for the setting up of getting ready to cast a spell.

Link to video 1 http://tinyurl.com/22wkff7

I dont think there is any misinformation in this video to my knowledge, although I myself would clease the area before I even cast a circle but I think that just comes down to personal choice,
I find it interesting in the things that have been used to represent the corners, I would normally use four white tealights for that purpose, and I haven't ever used a alter pentacle tile, I use a cloth with the triquetra symbol as when I first choose to study in magick I felt uncomfortable with the pentacle symbol, but through the years I have become more comfortable with it and now use goddess stones to form the shape of a pentacle around me in spell castings, I'm now thinking on getting a alter pentacle tile to add to my supplies, on a side note I find it quite amusing that I have a triquetra necklace that I have a personal protection spell on, and only noticed about a year ago that there is a very small pentacle stamp imprinted on the back of it.

Video Link 2 http://tinyurl.com/2ffxfew

This is a video for a personal protection spell, I think most of the things in this spell are workable although myself personally I would have had four tealights around the spell casting area and not three, also the use of doves blood I wouldn't have used due to the fact that what he used I take is synthetic doves blood(also mostly doves blood is used in love spells)..if I was going to use ink in that form I would make it myself by mixing 1/2 oz dragon's blood resin,7 oz methylated spirits and 1/2 oz of gum arabic. although the Dragon's blood is used as the base in making doves blood and bats blood ink, I think making your own is a better idea if you choose to use that form of ink and Dragon's blood ink I think is more suited for a protection spell.
Also the rune stone used is the "Eihwaz" rune, this is a protection rune but for me this rune is more suited for the removal of negative issues that may surround you, for me I would have choosen the "Algiz/Elhaz" rune as it gives protection from every possible form of danger from physical to spiritual.
When I cast protection spells I always write the rune symbol on a piece of black paper with a silver gel pen along with my intention over the top of the symbol and I would make a short chant to say as I pass it through any incense or the rubbing of any herbs I may use, I also use a black beeswax candle that I would use to burn the piece of paper then meditate on the burning flames with what my intention for what the spell was..depending on how much time I have and the size of the beeswax candle I'm using then I would meditate on the flame of the candle till it burns out (hence why I use the 2inch beeswax candles in spells).
With my protection spells I have a fondness for using Dragon's blood,The"Algiz/Elhaz" rune, black paper with silver ink and Devils claw.


On a side note to the watching of the youtube videos I read some of the comments posted in response to the videos and it astounds me that there is still so many people that are ignorant to what the real purpose of magick/witchcraft is.

And thank you LSV for this assignment I really enjoyed doing this one.



Love and Light

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MyWsASgeRKY

There isn't any misinformation but they do have an important information. It is that in different cultures they use it in different ways. Also, that you have to empower them with your intention may it be protection or blessing. What I like about the "God's Eye" is that you can take it anywhere and make it small or big. It depends on how you want to make it or what colors you want to choose.
The reason I choose this video was that I didn't knew how to make a "God's Eye." In some of my books it showed you how to make it but I always end up getting it wrong that I gaved up. When I came upon this video it demonstrated on how to do it and it's very simple that I can't believe that I couldn't do it. I like to do it now because it's simple and I can get creative.

I decided to do a search for 'Circle Casting' as it’s a technique I've used frequently in my past as an Alexandrian flavoured Wiccan and is different from what I do now as a Traditional Witch. The video I picked was this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOSz62Nz8uo by OathBoundSecrets.

While I would say there is no misinformation in this video, there is however missing information such as:

"Traditionally, circles have been used by ritual magicians to form a protective barrier". This is true of course, but the author of the above statement leaves out the other main reason why Wiccans in particular cast circles, to keep magical energy raised during spell working in until ready to be released.

"It was influenced by the earlier works of kabbalists and alchemists, which in turn hark back to Greco-Roman magic of late antiquity". There is no mention of circle casting in texts such as the Curse Tablets, the Greek Magical Papyri and the Demotic Magical Papyri which date from around the 5th Century BC and earlier. This isn't to say that the magicians of the Greco-Roman world didn't cast circles, just that these texts don't mention such a practice and I'd guess that circle casting is a later invention.

"The reason we work in groups when we can is because it helps the ritual run more smoothly". If you are a British Traditional Wiccan you have to work in a coven unless you become too infirm to do so. It's not a matter of convenience, it is part of that Tradition's law/lore. From personal experience, solitary rituals run more smoothly, but perhaps I've just been in the wrong groups!

"This ritual should be performed in the nude..." Why? Although I know the reasoning behind it the author doesn't give one. I find that the argument "The energy just flows better if you don't have any clothes on" to be invalid myself. BTW traditions work in the nude as part of their tradition but progressive Wiccans have no reason to except for personal preference.

There are various statements such as using salt, marking the floor and moving furniture that allude to the author's practice being a mainly indoor one. I'd state that under no circumstances use salt outdoors, either dry or in water. Salt ruins the earth and kills plants.

Otherwise, the author clearly is experienced and knows what he/she is talking about. Circle casting is obviously a fundamental part of most modern magical practices. Personally I use a compass hallowing rite, which is similar to a circle casting but has the purpose of placing the witch inside a space which is partly in this world and partly in the Otherworld. It is not a barrier for energy raising or to keep out 'evil forces'. Witches in the tradition I belong to go out and meet the Otherworld beings in their world, we don't bring them into ours. For more information on Hallowing the Compass see my posts on Traditional Witchcraft on this forum.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8jwahs2ab8&feature=related

While this is an advertisement for a magazine I still found it to be kind of wrong to be putting this kind of information out especially with all the new people coming into the Craft that may see this and think that it's true. The video is called "7 Great reasons to use Love spells" and the reasons they give are all the wrong reasons. They suggest that a person can use a love spell to keep a lover from leaving them through magick, keep them from cheating, getting multiple lovers, or making someone love you. While any one with a good amount of sense could see that none of these ideas would work, with the amount of teenagers and others who think that vampires and werewolves are real, they may think that they could do this with spells.