THE ELEMENTS of MAGIC – a Course Outline Prepared by Rose May Dance, September 1992
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THE ELEMENTS OF MAGIC – A course outline prepared by Rose May Dance, September 1992 The following material is lifted from and embellished upon an existing outline for a workbook for Reclaiming classes. This material was originally prepared by Rose May Dance with the assistance and oversight of Diane Baker and cannot be published without their permission. © Classes: For 13 years, Reclaiming has been teaching classes on ritual, magic, and witchcraft. Among other courses, we teach a standard Elements class which is a beginning level course. Often taught in 6 three and a half hour classes, it has been adapted for one-day, weekend, and week-long workshops. Our classes are experiential, and a student who passes through our Elements course becomes prepared to create ritual on her/his own, by her/himself and in a group. Each class, although containing some lecture material, is a ritual in itself. The classes are organized as Air, Fire, Water, Earth, Center, and the final session is a ritual created entirely by the students. At each class, sacred space is created, the basic exercises essential to Witchcraft ritual are practiced, and the Element which is featured for the session is thoroughly explored through theory, exercises, introduction to the appropriate tool, and group discussion. Sometime during the elements course the following subjects should be thoroughly addressed: feminist process, what is ritual, tools, symbols, elementals, history of the craft, the Craft today, the Goddess and her world view, immanent deity, nature worship and fertility of all kinds, the wheel of the year, the God, Sex, Justice, secrecy, honor, power-from-within, material work, the Law of Three and the Witch’s Reed, the three selves, and the co-mingling of spirit and politics, especially ecopolitics. I usually assign reading of the first six chapters of the Spiral Dance as prerequisite. AIR - the East Overview. In the past, since it is the first night, the Air class has been more talkative and theoretical than other classes. Not only must we introduce ourselves and each other, explain the course, and talk a bit about Witchcraft, the Goddess and God, and Reclaiming, but also do the particular work appropriate to Air. What is Air: Thought, Communication, Breath, Voice, Poetry, Inspiration, Boundaries, Separation, Choice, Song, Vision and Visualization, Fragrance, Beginnings, The Wind and Clouds and Fog, the Dawn, Spring, Birth, the Winged Creatures, the Fairies of the Air and the Sylphs. Theory: the importance of breath, visualization, imagination. Tools of Air: The Athame, Incense Skills and Class Structure: The Weather Report: sharing in group and weaving our magic from our lives. Introduction by the teachers: history of Craft, ethics, Goddess, feminist process, Reclaiming Tradition, Reclaiming philosophy of empowerment, structure of ritual (et cetera, as stated previously). Tree of life Meditation, emphasis on Breath and Visualization; Salt Water Visualization, emphasis on breath, drawing the Circle – emphasis on using tool and visualization; invocations of elements, which teach about these elements, stimulate visualization, and teach how to invoke; invocation of Goddess and God, which teach about them, stimulate visualization, and raise power through singing and chanting and rhythm and movement. Exercises – In the past, Womb breathing and the Apple Meditation, both found in the Spiral Dance, have been used. The Womb Breath is nice because it gets students breathing, connects them to each other, and teaches to raise power through sounding. Or a group goal could be perceived and visualized and a cone of power raised for it. Introduction to Feast and Libation – how to make the blessing; discussion of Reclaiming’s policy on alcohol and drugs. After general feasting, there may be time for questions, feedback, additional theory, and mention of other airy realms. Before a student is done with an elements course, she/he should be able to protect self with a magical circle. Visualization of such a circle could be homework. Before class ends, the circle should be properly opened, and students should understand the importance of creating and releasing magical boundaries, and how to create gates, etc. FIRE – the South What is FIRE: Energy, Spirit, Heat, Sap, the Will, Healing and Destroying, Purification, The Sun, Pele and Vesta, Noon, Passion, the Summer, Change, Courage and Daring, Desire, Focus, Transformation, Growth, the Lion and the Salamander and the Dragon. Overview: The body of the evening’s work would teach the skills of sensing and projecting and dampening energy, and raising energy in a cone and grounding it. (Mention can be made later of how to raise and ground energy when working solo.) Discussion and theory: Energy, and how it moves; Energy as it relates to breath; Healing – when the Work you do brings on a healing crisis; Transformation, Magical Will, psychic non-violence. The Tools: the Wand and how to use it. Pendulum. Skills and Class Structure: Preparation of the Room –Smudging. Weather Report Emphasis – how is your energy tonight, how has it been, why Suggestion: How to “Run Energy” – a Western mystical tradition meditation method designed to ground and link the meditator between Earth and Sky – a basic healing exercise. Tree of Life with emphasis on running energy, linking energy with those in the circle, sensing the changes involved, and expressing the energy with sound. Salt Water Purification with emphasis on charging the saltwater for healing, drawing unwanted, stagnant, unbalanced, or unhealthy energies out of body and using sound and breath to project these energies into the salt water, visualizing and sensing the change the salt water makes on the energy, and drawing transformed, healing energy into the body. Drawing the Circle: drawing blue Faerie Fire up from the center of the Earth into the body, into the tool, and projecting the blue line of light out to draw the circle. Invocations: Sensing the different qualities of the Elements as they come into the circle. Exercises – Meditation on Fire, using a fire or a cauldron fire; Exercises in the Spiral Dance – The Aura, the Pendulum, damping and projecting energy, charging a tool. Explanation of why and how these exercises work. Pendulum work can lead into healing exercises for self and others. Or there could be a guided meditation exploring the seven charkas – how to balance and cleanse the aura, color work. Students can be told how to cleanse and claim a space. Feast: meditation on fire in relation to food as a blessing over the feast. Opening the circle: noting the changes in the room after the Powers have been dismissed. Smoothing each other’s auras as leave-taking. Homework: candle gazing Additional suggestions: working with wand., shielding and self-defense, magical Burning of objects, wish birds, dousing and scrying with a pendulum; discussion of problems about feeling drained and gaining replenishment, prevention of feeling drained more healing work. WATER – the West Overview: trance theory and practice, trance levels and trance geography. Students should experience a guided trance in this class, and be given instructions on how to trance alone. Furthermore, suggestions and guidance should be made about using trance techniques and suggestion (self-hypnosis) in the student’s private practice in order to achieve goals and gain clarity and relaxation. Divination should be explored, at least in theory. Students should be encouraged to keep journals which include their dreams and trances, as well as other personal magical exploration. What is Water: emotions, sexuality, feelings, intuition, dreaming and entrancement, the flow, the rapids, the swelling, sorrow, laughter, tears, joy, the wormb, the unconscious, source of all life, the Isle of the Dead, divination, the twilight, the autumn, the creatures of the water, tiamat, the kelpies, mermaids, and naiads, undines, sea birds Tools: the Cup and how to use it; the bath; the living body of water Weather report: emphasis on emotions Grounding: emphasis on emotional flow Salt Water Purification: emphasis on the qualities of water to change, purify, generate, and on letting the emotions flow into the water Invocations: emphasis on involving emotions in calling Elements, Goddess, God Suggestion: review of materials in Spiral Dance (trance chapter), Cautions, Rainbow Induction, Place of Power, Gazing at the 4 directions at the beginning and end of each trance, Rainbow Return Suggestion: Reclaiming barrier Trance: a trance journey to the individual’s place of power where she/he encounters a barrier on his/her path, must contend with it and pass through, using the help of her/his tools and perhaps power animals or spirit guides, and can proceed on to the Well of Healing for 3 visions and a gift. Coming back the same way. Feast and Libation: emphasis on blessing the Waters of Life. Group Discussion of the Trance, reminders about the importance of grounding after trance, group Discussion on Dreams and Dream Journals; Opening the Circle. Homework: trance alone and journal. Additional Exercises: Exploring the quarters of the Circle – a trance; meeting the Guardian; the Animal Helper; receiving a Tool; Mirror Work; Divination EARTH – the North Overview: On this night the student learns how to work with materials. Ethics of spell work and theory of moving with the natural tides of sun, moon, earth, stars and other forces are covered. Reference is given to good tables of correspondence, but students are encouraged to intuitively find the materials