DOCSLIB.ORG

DECEMBER 21 SOLSTICE 2020 a Ritual Practice to Harness This Energy

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text

Load more

DECEMBER 21 SOLSTICE 2020 A ritual practice to harness this energy. A R D M O O R E & C O . K A R E N S T E V E N S . C O M . A U D E C E M B E R 2 1 S O L S T I C E 2 0 2 0 There is going to be a great cosmic solar event that will be seen and experienced by every single conscious being in our universe. This is what is commonly being described as the event. Why 21st December 2020? There's natural scientific significance of this date with relation to our solar system. The Azimuthal Equidistant Geocentric Earth model, the sun coils up and around the electromagnetic dome that encapsulates our earth for the summers and coils down towards the end of our solar year to its southern most position of the Tropic of Capricorn. And on December 21 is at its lowest Zenith or Y axis point, the farthest out from our land centre, and the closest to the earth vertically. This is what is known as the winter solstice, from a northern hemisphere perspective, and the summer solstice from the southern hemisphere perspective. K A R E N S T E V E N S . C O M . A U D E C E M B E R 2 1 S O L S T I C E 2 0 2 0 Once the sun has reached its lowest point, it follows the same radiant circuit, and either ascending or descending for three days before then beginning its journey back up to the Tropic of Cancer towards the top in the centre of our electromagnetic dome of this domain. Meaning, every year for only these three days of our year from the 21st to the 24th of December, the sun is neither rising or falling along the electromagnetic force field dome over and around us. The sun only resumes its Ascension back up to the top three days after the 21st on the 25th of December. But this year it is even more special. This event only happens once every 6000 years. On the 21st December 2020 with Mercury at the centre, our sun in this domain, Mars in the next domain and Saturn in the last domain and all the moons on the other side will all stop and align in the same direction on the same path and gradient at the same time, for the first time in 6000 years. K A R E N S T E V E N S . C O M . A U D E C E M B E R 2 1 S O L S T I C E 2 0 2 0 Amazing right! This is what is known as the long-awaited return of the Sun/Son. The galactic alignment, return of Nibiru – return of consciousness. This great solar event, this cosmic solar alignment will take three days to fully align starting on the 21st of December, and ending on the 25th of December. The electromagnetic Taurus fields in all four realms will either disappear, open up or weaken due to this galactic solar alignment . This is the opening of the portals or windows spoken of in the Bible, this opening should occur for seven days from the 25th to the 31st of December 2020. That also means everyone on earth will all be able to see all the different wandering solar systems of all the domains, clearly in our skies, everyone will have 2020 vision. K A R E N S T E V E N S . C O M . A U D E C E M B E R 2 1 S O L S T I C E 2 0 2 0 This phenomenon will affect and change our atmospheric conditions as well. These events periodically happen over cyclical time in various scales. The last big one occurred in 1859 and was called the Carrington event. The 21st December 2020 is going to be much, much bigger. This solar alignment is meant to realign cosmic energy and consciousness within the various earthly domains and realms of our Earth. So this is a wonderful opportunity for healing and raising your consciousness and vibration. To release and let go of everything you wish to purge and to call in a new, fresh energy of light and consciousness as our DNA is being upgraded from the old Carbon base to the new Crystalline DNA. K A R E N S T E V E N S . C O M . A U P R E P A R I N G F O R Y O U R R I T U A L First step is to reflect…. 1. WHAT AM I READY TO LET GO OF? Write a list of things you are ready to release from your life. Look at things that are no longer serving you positively. These could be thoughts, actions, friends, or ideas. Keep this list to use later in the ritual. 2. WHAT DO YOU WANT TO ACHIEVE? What do you want to call in for 2021? Is there something that you keep thinking about? Are you fulfilling your passion? Are you listening to your intuition? Is there something that you can accomplish this month that could change your life for the better? This goal can be personal, professional, or any kind of goal that you want! Write down as many ideas as you like! Anything from the material to the spiritual and beyond, as long as you don't interfere with anyone's free will. Make two handwritten copies; writing holds more energy than a computer printer. K A R E N S T E V E N S . C O M . A U 3. EMBODIMENT. What new energy do you wish to embody to help you raise your consciousness? Implementing a healthy habit will ensure that you stick to your new energy. What kind of lifestyle changes can you make to help make your dream goal a reality? 4. AWAKENING NEW SKILLS AND GIFTS. What new qualities do you wish to encourage? This could be anything from learning a new technique such as cooking or gardening to being a good listener, or even writing letters to far away friends. Pick something different that you do not normally that could add value to your life. 5. IT'S MY LIFE. What kind of life do you wish to lead? When envisioning your future life, it is important to not only see it but feel what it would be like. What would your ideal life feel like? What do you need to do to get there? And what energy and frequency do you need to embrace to keep you aligned with this way of life? K A R E N S T E V E N S . C O M . A U 6. THE ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE. What are you grateful for? Gratitude attracts more gratitude and the more that you praise your current winnings, the more you will attract things to be grateful for. Choose 5 things (big or small), that make you smile. Once done with your wishes write them down as a list of wishes you want to call in with the potent cosmic alignment. Make two handwritten copies; writing holds more energy than a computer printer. Now for the ritual…. Make sure you have a container (metal preferably) to burn your wish list in. You can prepare by playing some music, burning candles, oils, sage or anything else that evokes meaning for you. K A R E N S T E V E N S . C O M . A U To begin take either a glass or glass jug of water to place under the moonlight to make moon water (you can drink this the morning after the ritual for extra magick) or if you prefer use your crystals and place them under the moonlight to charge them with your intentions and wishes. Choose a place that holds power or resonates to you. If possible, go outside, a natural surrounding is more beneficial; less cluttered with old energy. I like big trees, on soft grass, with the moonlight to witness my ceremony. There is no set way to approach the ceremony; make it personal to you. And this year you can use the power of the stars as they align and put on a show for us all to see. The element of honouring your blessings, ancestors or Mother Earth herself sets an up-spiral energy for you. Now you have your space ready – open your ceremony by opening to the powers of The Universe and The Divine, opening your sacred space. K A R E N S T E V E N S . C O M . A U You could even use my W.I.T.C.H energy grid to place your crystals on each energy point on the 5 point star. The 5 elements of the Pentagram –Earth, Air, Fire, Water and Spirit. You can use the 5 inner points and the 5 outer points if you like and place either fresh flowers, a candle or sage in the middle for extra power. Feel free to print this out and place your crystals along these points. K A R E N S T E V E N S . C O M . A U OPENING YOUR SACRED SPACE Say aloud: I (your name) now allow myself to be a pure, clear conduit and connection to all that exists.
Recommended publications
  • Blood and Mistletoe: the History of the Druids in Britain Free

    Blood and Mistletoe: the History of the Druids in Britain Free

    FREE BLOOD AND MISTLETOE: THE HISTORY OF THE DRUIDS IN BRITAIN PDF Ronald Hutton | 492 pages | 24 May 2011 | Yale University Press | 9780300170856 | English | New Haven, United States Blood and Mistletoe | Yale University Press Uh-oh, it looks like your Internet Explorer is out of date. For a better shopping experience, please upgrade now. Javascript is not enabled in your browser. Enabling JavaScript in your browser will allow you to experience all the features of our site. Learn how to enable JavaScript on your browser. NOOK Book. Crushed by the Romans in the first century A. Because of this, historian Ronald Hutton shows, succeeding British generations have been free to reimagine, reinterpret, and reinvent the Druids. Druids have been remembered at different times as patriots, scientists, philosophers, or priests; sometimes portrayed as corrupt, bloodthirsty, or ignorant, they were also seen as fomenters of rebellion. Hutton charts how the Druids have been written in and out of history, archaeology, and the public consciousness for some years, with particular focus on the romantic period, when Druids completely dominated notions of British prehistory. Sparkling with legends and images, filled with new perspectives on ancient and modern times, this book is a fascinating cultural study of Druids as catalysts in British history. He lives in Bristol, UK. Home 1 Books 2. Read an excerpt of this book! Add to Wishlist. Overview Blood and Mistletoe: The History of the Druids in Britain by the Romans in the first century A. Related Searches. Praise for the author::'For anyone researching the subject, this is the book you've been waiting Praise for the author::'For anyone researching the subject, this is the book you've been waiting for.
  • Pentagram As a Symbol of Paganism: Symbols : Here the Differences Are Obvious

    Pentagram As a Symbol of Paganism: Symbols : Here the Differences Are Obvious

    Symbolic meaning of the pentagram The Pentagram is a symbol of a star encased in a circle. Always with 5 points (one pointing upward), each has its own meaning. The upward point of the star is representative of the spirit. The other four points all represent an element; earth, air, fire, and water. All these things contribute to life and are a part of each of us. To wear a pentagram necklace or other form of jewelry, is to say you feel the connection with the elements and respect the earth. The number 5 The number 5 has always been regarded as mystical and magical, yet essentially 'human'. We have five fingers/toes on each limb extremity. We commonly note five senses - sight, hearing, smell, touch and taste. We perceive five stages or initiations in our lives - eg. birth, adolescence, coitus, parenthood and death. (There are other numbers / initiations / stages / attributions). Pentagram as a symbol of paganism: http://www.webcom.com/~lstead/wicatru.html Symbols : Here the differences are obvious. The predominant symbol for Wicca (and for many, Paganism in general) is the pentagram. The predominant Ásatrú symbol is, of course, the hammer. While various interpretations for the pentagram abound, a common understanding of the religious meaning of the symbol is that it represents five equidistant elements: Earth, Air, Fire, Water, and Spirit, each bound within the circle of life, death, and rebirth. Here then is a display of a central ideology behind Wicca: to live one's life in harmony with these elements, representative of features of the self, and in union with the cycles of nature.
  • Wicca 1739 Have Allowed for His Continued Popularity

    Wicca 1739 Have Allowed for His Continued Popularity

    Wicca 1739 have allowed for his continued popularity. Whitman’s According to Gardner, witchcraft had survived the per- willingness to break out of hegemonic culture and its secutions of early modern Europe and persisted in secret, mores in order to celebrate the mundane and following the thesis of British folklorist and Egyptologist unconventional has ensured his relevance today. His belief Margaret Murray (1862–1963). Murray argued in her in the organic connection of all things, coupled with his book, The Witch Cult in Western Europe (1921), that an old organic development of a poetic style that breaks with religion involving a horned god who represented the fertil- many formal conventions have caused many scholars and ity of nature had survived the persecutions and existed critics to celebrate him for his innovation. His idea of uni- throughout Western Europe. Murray wrote that the versal connection and belief in the spirituality present in a religion was divided into covens that held regular meet- blade of grass succeeded in transmitting a popularized ings based on the phases of the moon and the changes of version of Eastern theology and Whitman’s own brand of the seasons. Their rituals included feasting, dancing, sac- environmentalism for generations of readers. rifices, ritualized sexual intercourse, and worship of the horned god. In The God of the Witches (1933) Murray Kathryn Miles traced the development of this god and connected the witch cult to fairy tales and Robin Hood legends. She used Further Reading images from art and architecture to support her view that Greenspan, Ezra, ed. The Cambridge Companion to Whit- an ancient vegetation god and a fertility goddess formed man.
  • A Christian Psychologist Looks at the Da Vinci Code

    A Christian Psychologist Looks at the Da Vinci Code

    A Christian Psychologist Looks at The Da Vinci Code April 2006 Stephen Farra, PhD, LP, Columbia International University For information about reprinting this article, please contact Dr. Farra at [email protected] Understanding the Agenda behind The Da Vinci Code A number of scholarly, thoughtful responses to The Da Vinci Code have already been produced by other members of the Christian community. These other responses, though, tend to concentrate on historical and factual errors, and the false conclusions these errors can produce. This response is different. While this response also highlights several historical/factual errors in the text of The Da Vinci Code, this response attempts to go to the conceptual and spiritual essence of the book. Instead of focusing on mistakes, and what is obviously distorted and deliberately left out, this response focuses on what is actually being presented and sold in the book. It is the thesis of this review that what is being presented and sold in The Da Vinci Code is Wicca – Neo-paganism, modern Witchcraft, “the Wiccan Way.” People need to make up their own minds on this important issue, however. A comparative chart, and numerous other quotations / examples are employed to present the evidence, and make the case. The Da Vinci Code is not just a novel. If that is all it was or is, there would be no need for the page boldly labeled "FACT” (all capital letters). The FACT page is page 1 in the book, the last printed page before the Prologue, the true beginning of the story. On the FACT page, the author(s) try to convince you that they have done a good job of researching and fairly representing both the Priory of Sion and Opus Dei, and then go on to boldly proclaim: "All descriptions of artwork, architecture, documents, and secret rituals in this novel are accurate." This "novel" is really a deconstructionist, post-modern attempt to re-write history, with a hidden agenda deeply embedded within the deconstructionist effort.
  • Summer Solstice

    Summer Solstice

    A FREE RESOURCE PACK FROM EDMENTUM Summer Solstice PreK–6th Topical Teaching Grade Range Resources Free school resources by Edmentum. This may be reproduced for class use. Summer Solstice Topical Teaching Resources What Does This Pack Include? This pack has been created by teachers, for teachers. In it you’ll find high quality teaching resources to help your students understand the background of Summer Solstice and why the days feel longer in the summer. To go directly to the content, simply click on the title in the index below: FACT SHEETS: Pre-K – Grade 3 Grades 3-6 Grades 3-6 Discover why the Sun rises earlier in the day Understand how Earth moves and how it Discover how other countries celebrate and sets later every night. revolves around the Sun. Summer Solstice. CRITICAL THINKING QUESTIONS: Pre-K – Grade 2 Grades 3-6 Discuss what shadows are and how you can create them. Discuss how Earth’s tilt cause the seasons to change. ACTIVITY SHEETS AND ANSWERS: Pre-K – Grade 3 Grades 3-6 Students are to work in pairs to explain what happens during Follow the directions to create a diagram that describes the Summer Solstice. Summer Solstice. POSTER: Pre-K – Grade 6 Enjoyed these resources? Learn more about how Edmentum can support your elementary students! Email us at www.edmentum.com or call us on 800.447.5286 Summer Solstice Fact Sheet • Have you ever noticed in the summer that the days feel longer? This is because there are more hours of daylight in the summer. • In the summer, the Sun rises earlier in the day and sets later every night.
  • DIVINATION SYSTEMS Written by Nicole Yalsovac Additional Sections Contributed by Sean Michael Smith and Christine Breese, D.D

    DIVINATION SYSTEMS Written by Nicole Yalsovac Additional Sections Contributed by Sean Michael Smith and Christine Breese, D.D

    DIVINATION SYSTEMS Written by Nicole Yalsovac Additional sections contributed by Sean Michael Smith and Christine Breese, D.D. Ph.D. Introduction Nichole Yalsovac Prophetic revelation, or Divination, dates back to the earliest known times of human existence. The oldest of all Chinese texts, the I Ching, is a divination system older than recorded history. James Legge says in his translation of I Ching: Book Of Changes (1996), “The desire to seek answers and to predict the future is as old as civilization itself.” Mankind has always had a desire to know what the future holds. Evidence shows that methods of divination, also known as fortune telling, were used by the ancient Egyptians, Chinese, Babylonians and the Sumerians (who resided in what is now Iraq) as early as six‐thousand years ago. Divination was originally a device of royalty and has often been an essential part of religion and medicine. Significant leaders and royalty often employed priests, doctors, soothsayers and astrologers as advisers and consultants on what the future held. Every civilization has held a belief in at least some type of divination. The point of divination in the ancient world was to ascertain the will of the gods. In fact, divination is so called because it is assumed to be a gift of the divine, a gift from the gods. This gift of obtaining knowledge of the unknown uses a wide range of tools and an enormous variety of techniques, as we will see in this course. No matter which method is used, the most imperative aspect is the interpretation and presentation of what is seen.
  • Surviving and Thriving in a Hostile Religious Culture Michelle Mitchell Florida International University, Mmitch45@Yahoo.Com

    Surviving and Thriving in a Hostile Religious Culture Michelle Mitchell Florida International University, [email protected]

    Florida International University FIU Digital Commons FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations University Graduate School 11-14-2014 Surviving and Thriving in a Hostile Religious Culture Michelle Mitchell Florida International University, [email protected] DOI: 10.25148/etd.FI14110747 Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd Part of the New Religious Movements Commons Recommended Citation Mitchell, Michelle, "Surviving and Thriving in a Hostile Religious Culture" (2014). FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 1639. https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd/1639 This work is brought to you for free and open access by the University Graduate School at FIU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of FIU Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY Miami, Florida SURVIVING AND THRIVING IN A HOSTILE RELIGIOUS CULTURE: CASE STUDY OF A GARDNERIAN WICCAN COMMUNITY A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS in RELIGIOUS STUDIES by Michelle Irene Mitchell 2014 To: Interim Dean Michael R. Heithaus College of Arts and Sciences This thesis, written by Michelle Irene Mitchell, and entitled Surviving and Thriving in a Hostile Religious Culture: Case Study of a Gardnerian Wiccan Community, having been approved in respect to style and intellectual content, is referred to you for judgment. We have read this thesis and recommend that it be approved. _______________________________________ Lesley Northup _______________________________________ Dennis Wiedman _______________________________________ Whitney A. Bauman, Major Professor Date of Defense: November 14, 2014 The thesis of Michelle Irene Mitchell is approved.
  • SOLSTICE PROJECT RESEARCH a Unique Solar Marking Construct

    SOLSTICE PROJECT RESEARCH a Unique Solar Marking Construct

    SOLSTICE PROJECT RESEARCH Papers available on this site may be downloaded, but must not be distributed for profit without citation. A Unique Solar Marking Construct By Anna Sofaer, Volker Zinser, and Rolf M. Sinclair Reprinted with permission from Science, 19 October 1979, Volume 206, Number 4416 pp. 283-291. Copyright 1979 American Association for the Advancement of Science. Readers may view, browse, and/or download this material for temporary copying purposes only, provided these uses are for noncommercial personal purposes. Except as provided by law, this material may not be further reproduced, distributed, transmitted, modified, adapted, performed, displayed, published, or sold in whole or in part, without prior written permission from AAAS. www.sciencemag.org Summary: An assembly of stone slabs on an isolated butte in New Mexico collimates sunlight onto spiral petroglyphs carved on a cliff face. The light illuminates the spirals in a changing pattern throughout the year and marks the solstices and equinoxes with particular images. The assembly can also be used to observe lunar phenomena. It is unique in archeoastronomy in utilizing the changing height of the midday sun throughout the year rather than its rising and setting points. The construct appears to be the result of deliberate work of the Anasazi Indians, the builders of the great pueblos in the area. Near the top of an isolated butte in Chaco Canyon, New Mexico, three large stone slabs collimate sunlight in vertical patterns of light on two spiral petroglyphs carved on the cliff behind them. The light illuminates the spirals each day near noon in a changing pattern throughout the year and marks the solstices and equinoxes with particular images.
  • Summer Solstice

    Summer Solstice

    Summer Solstice The equator is an imaginary line around the middle of the Earth. Above the equator is the northern hemisphere. Below the equator is the southern hemisphere. Can you imagine a pole going through Earth from the North Pole to the South Pole? This pole would be the Earth’s axis. The Earth spins around this axis. The axis is not vertical; it tilts the Earth over. This means the Earth appears to lean over. The Earth orbits or moves on a path around the Sun. This takes around one year. At different times of the year, as it journeys around the Sun, some places on Earth are nearer to the Sun than others. If you live above the equator, Earth is tilted closer to the Sun in the summer, giving more light and heat. In winter, these countries are further away from the sun and have less light and heat. Spring Sun Winter Summer Autumn This diagram shows the seasons in the northern hemisphere, above the equator. Can you see how the northern hemisphere is tilted towards the sun in summer? Page 1 of 3 Summer Solstice What is the Summer Solstice? The Summer Solstice happens when the North Pole is most tilted towards the sun. It marks the change when days in the northern hemisphere begin to grow shorter. The Summer Solstice happens around 21st June. This is also known as midsummer and is the longest day and shortest night of the year in the northern hemisphere. Summer Solstice in the Far North Solstice Celebrations Around the Summer Solstice, countries For thousands of years, there have in the Arctic Circle, like parts of been solstice celebrations around Norway, Finland, Greenland and the world.
  • The Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram (LBRP) Class with Jane Pierce (Tarotjane@Gmail.Com)

    The Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram (LBRP) Class with Jane Pierce ([email protected])

    The Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram (LBRP) Class with Jane Pierce ([email protected]) Qabalistic Cross 1. Standing in the center, facing East draw a line from above your head to your forehead and vibrate “A TAH.” (T hou art) 2. Continue drawing the line down below your feet and vibrate “ MALKUTH .” ( the Kingdom ) 3. Touch your breastbone with your right hand drawing a line as you extend your arm and vibrate “ VE­GEVURAH .” ( the Power ) 4. Touch your breastbone with your left hand drawing a line as you extend your arm and vibrate “ VE­GEDULAH .” ( the Glory ) 5. Bring both together, fingers up, in front of your breastbone and vibrate “ LE­OLAM, AMEN .” (f orever, Amen. ) Sealing the Circle 6. Go to East, draw pentagram, point to center and vibrate “ YUD HEH VEV HEH. ” 7. Begin drawing the circle, stop in the south, draw a pentagram, point to the center and vibrate “ ADONAI.” 8. Continue drawing the circle, stop in the west, draw a pentagram, point to the center and vibrate “ EH­HE­YEH. ” 9. Continue drawing the circle, stop in the north, draw a pentagram, point to the center and vibrate “ AH­GE­LAH .” 10. Complete drawing the circle to the place you started in the East. Return to the center. Invoking the Archangels 11. Face East and vibrate “ Before me, RAPHAEL. ” (Visualize him carrying a Caduceus.) 12. Vibrate “B ehind me, GABRIEL .” (Visualize her carrying a chalice.) 13. Vibrate “O n my right, MICHAEL. ” (Visualize him carrying a flaming sword.) 14. Vibrate “O n my left, URIEL .” (Visualize her carrying a living branch.) 15.
  • Kabbalah, Magic & the Great Work of Self Transformation

    Kabbalah, Magic & the Great Work of Self Transformation

    KABBALAH, MAGIC AHD THE GREAT WORK Of SELf-TRAHSfORMATIOH A COMPL€T€ COURS€ LYAM THOMAS CHRISTOPHER Llewellyn Publications Woodbury, Minnesota Contents Acknowledgments Vl1 one Though Only a Few Will Rise 1 two The First Steps 15 three The Secret Lineage 35 four Neophyte 57 five That Darkly Splendid World 89 SIX The Mind Born of Matter 129 seven The Liquid Intelligence 175 eight Fuel for the Fire 227 ntne The Portal 267 ten The Work of the Adept 315 Appendix A: The Consecration ofthe Adeptus Wand 331 Appendix B: Suggested Forms ofExercise 345 Endnotes 353 Works Cited 359 Index 363 Acknowledgments The first challenge to appear before the new student of magic is the overwhehning amount of published material from which he must prepare a road map of self-initiation. Without guidance, this is usually impossible. Therefore, lowe my biggest thanks to Peter and Laura Yorke of Ra Horakhty Temple, who provided my first exposure to self-initiation techniques in the Golden Dawn. Their years of expe­ rience with the Golden Dawn material yielded a structure of carefully selected ex­ ercises, which their students still use today to bring about a gradual transformation. WIthout such well-prescribed use of the Golden Dawn's techniques, it would have been difficult to make progress in its grade system. The basic structure of the course in this book is built on a foundation of the Golden Dawn's elemental grade system as my teachers passed it on. In particular, it develops further their choice to use the color correspondences of the Four Worlds, a piece of the original Golden Dawn system that very few occultists have recognized as an ini­ tiatory tool.
  • Religion and the Return of Magic: Wicca As Esoteric Spirituality

    Religion and the Return of Magic: Wicca As Esoteric Spirituality

    RELIGION AND THE RETURN OF MAGIC: WICCA AS ESOTERIC SPIRITUALITY A thesis submitted for the degree of PhD March 2000 Joanne Elizabeth Pearson, B.A. (Hons.) ProQuest Number: 11003543 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a com plete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. uest ProQuest 11003543 Published by ProQuest LLC(2018). Copyright of the Dissertation is held by the Author. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States C ode Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106- 1346 AUTHOR’S DECLARATION The thesis presented is entirely my own work, and has not been previously presented for the award of a higher degree elsewhere. The views expressed here are those of the author and not of Lancaster University. Joanne Elizabeth Pearson. RELIGION AND THE RETURN OF MAGIC: WICCA AS ESOTERIC SPIRITUALITY CONTENTS DIAGRAMS AND ILLUSTRATIONS viii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ix ABSTRACT xi INTRODUCTION: RELIGION AND THE RETURN OF MAGIC 1 CATEGORISING WICCA 1 The Sociology of the Occult 3 The New Age Movement 5 New Religious Movements and ‘Revived’ Religion 6 Nature Religion 8 MAGIC AND RELIGION 9 A Brief Outline of the Debate 9 Religion and the Decline o f Magic? 12 ESOTERICISM 16 Academic Understandings of