How to Become a Witch, Amber K. [new books to read .txt] 📗

as the love in your life gives it shape and strength. Love keeps it from being hollow and meaningless. To become a Witch, you must know that you are loved and what you love. Write about your sources and objects of love in your Book of Shadows. If you review these often, they can become a great source of power in your magickal workings.

One of the principles of magick is that all things are connected. In this context, that means that if you love anything or anyone, you are loving everything, including yourself. Likewise, if you hate something, you are hating yourself. So start loving freely—what you send out will return threefold (see chapter 7).

There is no tool specifically associated with love; because it permeates everything a Witch does, all of a Witch’s tools are about love. Certainly the Goddess and God are love, represented by the light of the candles on your altar, and so the candles are symbols of love. There are usually at least two candles on the altar, and they can be any colors, shapes, or sizes you want—whatever works with the purpose of the ritual you are doing.

Your Magickal Name

Once you have your Book of Shadows and your athame, wand, chalice, and pentacle, you may want to choose a magickal name. It is not necessary, of course, to take a magickal name, and we know many Witches who haven’t. Some see their whole lives as magickal; others don’t want to seem to be hiding behind a new name; and others just haven’t thought about it. However, many Witches do see several advantages in taking a magickal name. Your muggle name has past connotations—baggage—and some of that you don’t want to keep in your new life as a Witch. That baggage can limit you and keep you thinking in your old patterns: “Jane is depressed, the underdog, always the last one picked for team sports...,” or whatever your past history was like. A new, magickal name can symbolize who you want to be and are becoming, or reflect an attribute you aspire to, like Lionheart for courage, Cloudcastle for more imagination, or Artemis for slenderness, agility, and a love of animals.

To become closer to nature, you might choose a name from nature. To balance your personality, choose an elemental name: for example, Fireheart could boost your will and energy. To become more flexible, you could become Willow. If you want freedom and to express yourself, you might choose Birdsong. One way to choose your name is to go through lists (see the following pages) and simply find words that speak to you, then put two or more together. Write some possibilities in your Book of Shadows, then say them out loud as if you are introducing yourself to others at a Pagan festival: “Hello, my name is Whitefeather.” How does it sound? How does it feel? How it will feel in a year—is it a name you will have to grow into or one that will feel too small in a few months? If it is unusual, are you willing to always spell it out for people—A-Z-R-A-E-L—or will you get really tired of that? Try it now, and see what you come up with!

Choosing Your Magickal Name

Actions: Archer, Chanter, Climber, Dancer, Diver, Drummer, Flyer, Hiker, Hunter, Leaper, Runner, Seeker, Singer, Speaker, Spinner, Surfer, Swimmer, Traveler, Walker, etc.

Animals: Bear, Butterfly, Coyote, Crow, Dolphin, Eagle, Ermine, Firefly, Fox, Hawk, Horse, Lion, Lynx, Marten, Mouse, Owl, Robin, Salmon, Squirrel, Tiger, Turtle, Wildcat, Wolf, etc.

Archaeology: Altarstone, Bluestone, Broch, Cromlech, Dolmen, Henge, Hillfort, Holy Stone, Megalith, Menhir, Standing Stone, Tell, Trilithon, etc.

Astronomy: Aldebaran, Arcturus, Comet, Constellation, Crescent, Deneb, Diana’s Bow, Ecliptic, Galaxy, Milky Way, Moon, Moondog, Pleides, Polestar, Sirius, Sol, Star, Sun, Ursa Major, Ursa Minor, Zodiac, etc.

Colors: Black, Blue, Bronze, Brown, Cerulean, Copper, Cream, Electrum, Ebon, Gold, Gray, Gules, Ivory, Lavender, Ochre, Orange, Red, Russet, Sable, Scarlet, Sienna, Silver, Tan, Umber, Verdigris, Vert, Violet, White, Yellow, etc.

Elements: Earth, Land, Loam, Mountain, Rock, Soil, Stone; Air, Breeze, Gale, Sirocco, Sky, Wind, Zephyr; Fire, Blaze, Bonfire, Ember, Flame, Niedfyr, Spark, Torch; Water, Ice, Creek, Current, Lake, Ocean, River, Sea, Spray, Spring, Stream, Surf, Wave, Wavecrest; Spirit, Lady, Lord.

Goddesses: Anahita, Aphrodite, Arianrhod, Arinna, Artemis, Ashoreth, Astarte, Bast, Baubo, Cerridwen, Danu, Diana, Epona, Flidais, Freya, Grianne, Hathor, Hecate, Hera, Iris, Isis, Lakshmi, Ma’at, Macha, Mebd, Minerva, Morrigan, Nuit, Oshun, Quan Yin, Sarasvati, Scathach, Sekhmet, Selket, Sif, Sophia, Tanith, Uzume, Venus, Xochiquetzal, Yemaya, etc.

Gods: Amon, Anubis, Apollo, Ares, Aten, Baldur, Bel, Cernunnos, Coyote, Dagda, Dionysius, Enki, Faunus, Frey, Ganesh, Ganymede, Geb, Heimdall, Helios, Hephaestus, Hermes, Herne, Jupiter, Lugh, Manannan, Mars, Mercury, Neptune, Odin, Osiris, Pan, Poseidon, Ptah, Ra, Saturn, Shiva, Silenus, Sin, Tammuz, Thor, Thoth, Vulcan, Wayland, Zeus, etc.

Herbs and Flowers: Aloe Vera, Alraun, Briony, Chamomile, Comfrey, Dahlia, Day’s-Eye, Foxglove, Hagtaper, Mandrake, Marigold, Mullein, Mugwort, Nightshade, Orchid, Periwinkle, Rose, Satyrion, Soloman’s Seal, Vervain, Violet, Wood Betony, etc.

Mythological Beasts: Cameleopard, Dragon, Gryphon, Hippogriff, Hydra, Pegasus, Phoenix, Roc, Sea Serpent, Sirrush, Unicorn, Water Horse, etc.

Nature in General: Autumn, Canyon, Equinox, Fall, Feather, Field, Forest, Hill, Isle, Grove, Marsh, Path, Shell, Solstice, Spring, Summer, Tor, Trail, Valley, Winter, Woods, etc.

Spirit Beings: Angel, Archangel, Brownie, Elf, Faery, Faun, Gnome, Mermaid, Merman, Nereid, Nixie, Oceanid, Oread, Pixie, Salamander, Sprite, Sylph, Undine, etc.

Stones: Agate, Amazonite, Amber, Amethyst, Azurite, Beryl, Carnelian, Citrine, Diamond, Emerald, Jasper, Jet, Lapis Lazuli, Malachite, Obsidian, Onyx, Opal, Pearl, Ruby, Sapphire, Sardonyx, Turquoise, Zircon, etc.

Trees: Alder, Almond, Apple, Ash, Aspen, Chestnut, Cypress, Dogwood, Ebony, Elder, Elm, Fir, Hawthorn, Hickory, Holly, Juniper, Oak, Olive, Orange, Pine, Plum, Redwood, Rosewood, Rowan, Sassafras, Sequoia, Spruce, Thorn, Willow, Yew, etc.

Tree Parts: Acorn, Bark, Bough, Branch, Crown, Leaf, Root, Twig, Wood, etc.

Vocations: Clown, Farmer, Fool, Healer, Hunter, Jester, Forester, Ranger, Seer, Smith, Teacher, Warrior, etc.

Weather: Breeze, Calm, Cloud, Dew, Lightning, Mist, Rain, Rainbow, Sirocco, Snow, Storm, Thunder, Typhoon, Weather, Wind, Woods, etc.

Witch Words: Amulet, Athame, Bolline, Chant, Caim, Chalice, Charm, Crone, Cup, Deosil, Incantation, Pentacle, Rede, Sage, Scry, Shadowbook, Sigil, Sign, Song, Spell, Sword, Talisman, Torc, Wand, Will, etc.

Other Ideas: North, East,