Operation Circle Care

Posted on 14 October 2011 by

Operation Circle Care: Support Our Pagan Troops!

Yuletide Care Packages for Pagan Troops

 

At Yuletide and throughout the year, Circle Sanctuary sends care packages with Pagan books, magazines, CDs, and other spiritual resources to Wiccans and other Pagans on active duty in war zones.

 

You can help this effort by sending us donations of new and gently used items as well as funds to cover air mail postage.

 

DONATE ITEMS: contact our Operation Circle Care project coordinator: occ@circlesanctuary.org.

Visit the Circle website, linked above, for additional information.

 

 

 


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Song for a 5th Child

Posted on 9 October 2011 by

I was involved in a short discussion earlier today with some friends on Twitter, and one mentioned a cross-stitch piece that one of her aunts had. I thought the piece was wonderful, and decided to see if I could find any attribution for it, and met with success. Originally published in “The Ladies’ Home Journal” in 1938, here it is:

“Song for a 5th Child” by Ruth Hamilton.

song for a 5th child

“Mother, oh Mother, come shake out your cloth,
Empty the dustpan, poison the moth, 
Hang out the washing and butter the bread, 
Sew on a button and make up a bed. 
Where is the mother whose house is so shocking? 
She’s up in the nursery, blissfully rocking.

Oh, I’ve grown shiftless as Little Boy Blue 
(Lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo). 
Dishes are waiting and bills are past due 
(Pat-a-cake, darling, and peek, peekaboo). 
The shopping’s not done and there’s nothing for stew 
And out in the yard there’s a hullabaloo 
But I’m playing Kanga and this is my Roo. 
Look! Aren’t her eyes the most wonderful hue? 
(Lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo).

The cleaning and scrubbing will wait till tomorrow, 
For children grow up, as I’ve learned to my sorrow. 
So quiet down, cobwebs. Dust go to sleep. 
I’m rocking my baby and babies don’t keep.”

If you are interested, there is a cross-stitch pattern of it at http://velona.net/Babies-Dont-Keep-lacs-350.htm


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The Witches’ Round

Posted on 23 September 2011 by

Nowadays used to raise the Cone of Power, this old dance may be used  alone or in full coven. It is better if the Drawing Down of the Moon  has gone before, for then the Gods shall fuse with the energies raised  in the ecstacy of the dance and thereby accomplish your will.  

All join hands to form a ring about the HPS. Heads turned left and eyes tightly shut, will a flowing river of power about the circle, moving  from one through the next, from man to woman and woman to man, about  the circle without beginning or end, gathering strength as it goes.  

When the circle is set thus, in motionless intensity, the HPS begins to clap to the rhythym of the heart-beat. And upon this signal all open  their eyes and step widdershins; slowly at first but with a quickening  step as the HPS quickens the beat of her clap, until three rounds are  complete. And this must be accomplished smoothly and without  awkwardness.  

Now change direction and dance deosil to the Witches’ Rune or some  other tune; slowly at first, but faster and ever faster until, the  Power being at its peak, the HPS shall release it crying: “Down !”,  whereupon all shall fall to the ground to sit in a circle facing in.  Thus also was the Cone of Power raised of yore.  

———-

  • Another variant on raising a cone of power.  
  • This one’s adapted slightly from “The Witches Almanac”, 1971-72, as reprinted in “The Witches All”.
  • It’s similar to many well known methods; just puts the pieces together rather differently.


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Besom Chant

Posted on 23 September 2011 by

[another from the archives of Sidhe Mail BBS, member of PODSNet]

16 Jan 90

Besom Chant 

“Besom, besom long and lithe
Made from ash and willow withe
Tied with thongs of willow bark
In running stream at moonset dark.
With a pentagram indighted
As the ritual fire is lighted;
Sweep ye circle, deosil,
Sweep out evil, sweep out ill,
Make the round of the ground
Where we do the Lady’s will.
 
Besom, besom, Lady’s broom
Sweep out darkness, sweep out doom
Rid ye Lady’s hallowed ground
Of demons, imps and Hell’s red hound;
Then set ye down on Her green earth
By running stream or Mistress’ hearth,
‘Till called once more on Sabbath night
To cleans once more the dancing site.”

  ———-

-I understand that this chant was written by Lady Tamara of the WCC.
(However, I have no evidence for this except hearsay, and the fact that
the WCC appears to use it, so I may be wrong.)
-I don’t have a published source for it – but it’s one of those things that
every Witch in town seems to have a copy of.
-There is absolutely NO reason to think of it as traditional Gardnerian or
Alexandrian. However, it’s an example of the kind of thing that finds its
way into a lot of BOSs, regardless of tradition. There appears to be no
equivalent to this in the “standard” BOS, and some people feel a need for
it, so a lot of people have added this chant to their BOS.


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Various Aphorisms (Proverbs)

Posted on 23 September 2011 by

More accurately, folk wisdoms, but I’m not going to quibble over it…

The following text was posted to the old PODSNet systems many years ago. The author is listed as Sekhet.

Various Aphorisms (Proverbs)

     For witches this be Law -
     Where ye enter in, from there withdraw.

     An ye will secure the spell,
     Cast some silver in the well.

     Enhance thy trance
     With drug and dance.

     Vervain and dill lend aid to will.

     Trefoil, vervain, St.-John’s-wort, dill,
     Hinder witches of their will !

     Upon the clock, dependeth not.

     Success pursueth the persistent.

     Guilt flees when none pursueth.

     Power shared is power lost.

     Seek thine enemy in secret.

     Thoughts are things: as a man thinkest, so he is.

     No one person can accomplish all.

     Danger is never overcome without danger.

     The past is fixed, yet the future may be bent.

     Where communication fails, confusion follows.

     Some things cannot be understood by mortal man.
     Many such must simply be accepted.

     Rush in where angels fear to tread: the Gods are with you.

     As a man thinketh, so is he.

     If you think small, you become small.

     Remember the Passwords: Perfect Love and Perfect Trust, so trust the 
     Universe and be at Home everywhere.

     If you imagine and fear ‘I will get trapped’, of course you will get 
     trapped. Fear not, and you won’t.

     You are never less alone than when you think you are alone.

     Fear not, for fear is failure and the forerunner of failure.
     Pray to the Moon when she is round
     Luck with you shall then abound
     What you seek for shall be found
     In sea or sky or solid ground …

———-
     -These come from various sources
     -There’s no reason to believe that any list of aphorisms is part of the
      “standard” Gardnerian or Alexandrian BOS.
     -Sources of this list are known to include:
             The Witches’ Almanac
             The Grimoire of Lady Sheba
             Wicca the Ancient Way
             Paul Huson’s “Mastering Witchcraft”
     -Add your own; I did. —Sekhet.


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