Ask a Witch

[Midnight Rain]

My first life I was a "pan" and lived on the reserve/preserve that was set aside for those kinds of folks and in a few of my later lives I was a green brown spring druid. My present body carries the genetics and genetic memory for those things as well as some other things, and I was born an earth witch in this life time. My last lifetime I was a yogi and the father of Yogananda's Kriya Yoga tradition. So anyway Midnight Rain, that is my past and genetic background for this stuff.

Will now that I have been way over the top for a cookie : Humm?

The grounding meditations that you have mentioned I am familiar with and have used them. And picturing oneself in the center of the planet is also an awesome shielding meditation . It adds mass to your shield, which is very helpful when the other fellow is using only will created energy.

Midnight Rain, how is your Book of Shadows coming along? And was any of it handed down to you from one or more older witch/es?

I don't follow the school of thought about people being born witches. I think everyone is born a witch. However I think that different people will have different affinities for the elements and such.

Yes the center of the earth helps you both ground and empower your shields. I am an empath and have dealt with bogus shield work before. The first person to try and teach me to shield didn't know what they were talking about and there is a lot of misinformation about shielding today.

I just started my third book of shadows. Its the same book but the third physical volume. I did not have the luxury of it being handed down though. However my great grandmother was known for doing magic. I don't know if she was a full on pagan witch or just a folk magician. She taught me some things about the natural flow of energy in nature and in certain plants.

And I classify myself as a green witch but I am closest to the water element.

 

[Rick O'Shez]

I am closest to the water element.

I'm familiar with the elements from a Buddhist context, could you say a bit more about how you work with / relate to the elements?

 

[Midnight Rain]

I'm familiar with the elements from a Buddhist context, could you say a bit more about how you work with / relate to the elements?

In wicca magic there are the five elements as represented with the five points to the pentacle. Water, Fire, Air, Earth and Spirit. They differ somewhat from the pentagram of the east where it is Iron, wood, Water, Fire and Earth. Actually it differs a great deal but the fundamentals of how the magic is used is similar.

Each of the four elements has innate properties that can help with specific types of spells and each are associated with a cardinal direction. Air is East, Fire is south, Earth is West and Water is associated with the north.

In a circle or alter or wherever you cast your spells you usually have something to represent all of the elements. You yourself would be the representation of "spirit" so they need four physical representations of the other four elements. I myself have collected rainwater for water, a geode for earth, incense for air and candles for fire. Depending on what and how you focus the materials (many spells require additional materials) is how the magic is released.

 

[mystic64]

I don't follow the school of thought about people being born witches. I think everyone is born a witch. However I think that different people will have different affinities for the elements and such.

Yes the center of the earth helps you both ground and empower your shields. I am an empath and have dealt with bogus shield work before. The first person to try and teach me to shield didn't know what they were talking about and there is a lot of misinformation about shielding today.

I just started my third book of shadows. Its the same book but the third physical volume. I did not have the luxury of it being handed down though. However my great grandmother was known for doing magic. I don't know if she was a full on pagan witch or just a folk magician. She taught me some things about the natural flow of energy in nature and in certain plants.

And I classify myself as a green witch but I am closest to the water element.

Well, I guess I would have to classify myself these days as a yogi shaman . Back in the day, to witch something was a term used to tie a line or rope to something to contain it, to control it, or to bind it to something else and generally a quick knot was used to secure the bindings. If the binding needed to be more secure then a knot called a warlock was used in addition to the first quick knot to secure the first knot and binding in a permanent sense.

So, when you use a binding spell are there times when you put a warlock on it to make that spell permanently locked so that it can not be undone? Or do you just allow your binding spells to dissipate with time?

Spiny Norman's question is an awesome question ! I never would have thought to ask that question and it is a very important question.

My preference has always been the earth element. I guess my second would be fire but I really do not like working with it, it is too unforgiving. I do love water and air though because they bring life to earth. And I love earth and living things.

 

[Rick O'Shez]

In a circle or alter or wherever you cast your spells you usually have something to represent all of the elements. You yourself would be the representation of "spirit" so they need four physical representations of the other four elements. I myself have collected rainwater for water, a geode for earth, incense for air and candles for fire. Depending on what and how you focus the materials (many spells require additional materials) is how the magic is released.

That's interesting. In Buddhism there is something called kasina practice which includes working with one of the four elements, using a physical representation like you've described - the idea is to really see them. Alternatively you can work with colours. In Buddhism we refer regularly to the four elements and sometimes to the six elements by adding space and consciousness.
I think my favourite element is water as I live by the sea.

 

[Midnight Rain]

Well, I guess I would have to classify myself these days as a yogi shaman . Back in the day, to witch something was a term used to tie a line or rope to something to contain it, to control it, or to bind it to something else and generally a quick knot was used to secure the bindings. If the binding needed to be more secure then a knot called a warlock was used in addition to the first quick knot to secure the first knot and binding in a permanent sense.

So, when you use a binding spell are there times when you put a warlock on it to make that spell permanently locked so that it can not be undone? Or do you just allow your binding spells to dissipate with time?

Spiny Norman's question is an awesome question ! I never would have thought to ask that question and it is a very important question.

My preference has always been the earth element. I guess my second would be fire but I really do not like working with it, it is too unforgiving. I do love water and air though because they bring life to earth. And I love earth and living things.

I have never made a binding spell that needed to be permanent. If you lock up something that is even negative then it will build up and won't be able to dissipate in the natural flow of energy. There are equal parts positive and negative energy in the universe and if I were to bind any, good or bad, permanently that can disrupt the flow of the area. Most binding spells "leak" the energy out over time and if it has manifested in a form of some kind such as an entity (some may call it a demon) then it should loose its energy and by the time the binding is undone it should be harmless in that form.

I have never heard of the term "warlock" used in that way.

 

[Midnight Rain]

That's interesting. In Buddhism there is something called kasina practice which includes working with one of the four elements, using a physical representation like you've described - the idea is to really see them. Alternatively you can work with colours. In Buddhism we refer regularly to the four elements and sometimes to the six elements by adding space and consciousness.
I think my favorite element is water as I live by the sea.

The east has a few different layers of the elemental table.

Buddhism originates from Hinduism which uses the same four elements and then adds a fifth element of "sky" or "spirit" which is also the same as in many western traditions. However in Buddhism they add one more for "cconsciousness. This is included as a property of "spirit" in the west though.

In China they have the five elements with the internal symbol of the two types of energy. Yin and Yang surrounded by fire, metal, wood, earth and water. Each overtaking the next but giving power to the one after which was a cyclical understanding of the flow of energy. Its rather interesting but the Buddhist and Taoist understandings are historically linked except during the Buddhist expansion into China from Tibet.

 

[mystic64]

I have never made a binding spell that needed to be permanent. If you lock up something that is even negative then it will build up and won't be able to dissipate in the natural flow of energy. There are equal parts positive and negative energy in the universe and if I were to bind any, good or bad, permanently that can disrupt the flow of the area. Most binding spells "leak" the energy out over time and if it has manifested in a form of some kind such as an entity (some may call it a demon) then it should loose its energy and by the time the binding is undone it should be harmless in that form.

I have never heard of the term "warlock" used in that way.

Midnight Rain, you are really good at this stuff and it is an honor to be able to have a chance to interact with you. I am learning from the experience (we are both empaths).

I have decided that I agree with you about everybody being born with abilities with the understanding that everybody is mostly women . Most men not so much.

I guess the operative phrase is, "needed to be permanent." Humm? And I suppose that leaving negative to continue to fester in a binding is not a good thing. I agree. Like you, I am inclined toward defensive majik so shield bindings with a warlock on them would be more along the lines that I was thinking about when it comes to warlocking a binding,

Normally I don't use a warlock on a binding for the same reasons that you have mentioned except for one time. Back when I was hanging out on The Way of the Green Witch message board I got a bit cocky and really upset a lady that turned out to be a voo doo priestess (she said the the gals were all "fluffy" witches so i challenged her and I was a bit pushy about it. I was way younger back in those days. I am older now and I would never do that again , I pussyfoot right around those kind of folks. Eek!). The next thing I knew I had the seven dooms laid on me. The one when people just lie down and give up living. Basically she dropped my mind vibrational level down into the upper delta and lower theta mind vibrational levels and then paralyzed "will". Because I had spent (and still do because that is where the good stuff happens) most of my conscious time in the theta mind vibrational levels (deep sleep) I didn't have any trouble maintaining consciousness. To make a long story short, I put her in a blue bubble shield to protect her from herself and then placed her in the hands of God. And then I put a warlock on the binding. I met her years later on another message board and the warlock was still holding and she was working her way into becoming a more positive and compationate person. So anyway, I did not contain and lock the negative into itself because like you said that would not be good. I just placed and locked it in a positive influence and let things work themselves out.

Well Midnight Rain, I am running out of questions. So let me ask this one, "What kind of wand do you use when you use one? A streight wand or a crooked one? A hand crafted one or a "Nature" wand (one that you just pick up in the forest that is a gift to you from the Mother Goddess? Or some mixture of those two?" My preference is a crooked "Nature" wand and also a crooked staff (untampered with) because of their enhanced potiental for creative movement

 

[-Peacemaker-]

what's the coolest thing you ever did with magic?

 

[Midnight Rain]

Midnight Rain, you are really good at this stuff and it is an honor to be able to have a chance to interact with you. I am learning from the experience (we are both empaths).

I have decided that I agree with you about everybody being born with abilities with the understanding that everybody is mostly women . Most men not so much.

I guess the operative phrase is, "needed to be permanent." Humm? And I suppose that leaving negative to continue to fester in a binding is not a good thing. I agree. Like you, I am inclined toward defensive majik so shield bindings with a warlock on them would be more along the lines that I was thinking about when it comes to warlocking a binding,

Normally I don't use a warlock on a binding for the same reasons that you have mentioned except for one time. Back when I was hanging out on The Way of the Green Witch message board I got a bit cocky and really upset a lady that turned out to be a voo doo priestess (she said the the gals were all "fluffy" witches so i challenged her and I was a bit pushy about it. I was way younger back in those days. I am older now and I would never do that again , I pussyfoot right around those kind of folks. Eek!). The next thing I knew I had the seven dooms laid on me. The one when people just lie down and give up living. Basically she dropped my mind vibrational level down into the upper delta and lower theta mind vibrational levels and then paralyzed "will". Because I had spent (and still do because that is where the good stuff happens) most of my conscious time in the theta mind vibrational levels (deep sleep) I didn't have any trouble maintaining consciousness. To make a long story short, I put her in a blue bubble shield to protect her from herself and then placed her in the hands of God. And then I put a warlock on the binding. I met her years later on another message board and the warlock was still holding and she was working her way into becoming a more positive and compationate person. So anyway, I did not contain and lock the negative into itself because like you said that would not be good. I just placed and locked it in a positive influence and let things work themselves out.

Well Midnight Rain, I am running out of questions. So let me ask this one, "What kind of wand do you use when you use one? A streight wand or a crooked one? A hand crafted one or a "Nature" wand (one that you just pick up in the forest that is a gift to you from the Mother Goddess? Or some mixture of those two?" My preference is a crooked "Nature" wand and also a crooked staff (untampered with) because of their enhanced potiental for creative movement

Thank you! You know your stuff as well it seems.

I knew a high priest of Wicca (not Celtic but an Alexandrian) who had a vial where he kept a curse meant at him. The best defense I have ever had against personal attacks was a spell to "bounce" the spell back. It was complicated and I had someone with more experience assist me but essentially the basis of the spell was to return the energy back to the caster so they would suffer whatever they cast onto me. For it to be most effective however you have to know who the individual is and more or less what it is that they cast at you. But a binding or shield also works. Cleansing can help release any remaining energy on a person or a place that has been cursed.

My wand that I personally use I crafted from something I found in the woods. I fasted it to myself as a personal instrument and I only did minor physical changes to it. I wrapped the handle in soaked bark from the tree I assumed it to be from and whittled it a little. It is fairly strait which is one thing that drew me near. I have had no complaints with it. Typically I use an athame though. And I have a staff but I don't think I've used it but once.

 

[Midnight Rain]

what's the coolest thing you ever did with magic?

I guess the coolest thing I have ever done is assist a friend with a malevolent haunting. They thought it was a demon and by people's standards it was one. I don't like defining them in that way as I disagree with the origins of such beings. But I helped cleanse the house and bind the demon before banishing it elsewhere. I did a seven fold protection spell around the house as well as one on each of the family members. This was close to six years ago and they have not reported any further activity. This is what I am most proud of.

 

[Sha'irullah]

What do witches expect to gain dabbling in magic?

 

[Midnight Rain]

What do witches expect to gain dabbling in magic?

It isn't about personal gain but personal fulfillment and empowerment. Something some people don't understand is that any religious aspect to a pagan group is actually separate from the witchcraft aspect. There are occasions in which you can call upon certain gods or goddesses to assist you in a spell but it isn't required and doesn't usually fundamentally change anything about the spell in your own actions.

Does that answer your question?

 

[mystic64]

Thank you! You know your stuff as well it seems.

I knew a high priest of Wicca (not Celtic but an Alexandrian) who had a vial where he kept a curse meant at him. The best defense I have ever had against personal attacks was a spell to "bounce" the spell back. It was complicated and I had someone with more experience assist me but essentially the basis of the spell was to return the energy back to the caster so they would suffer whatever they cast onto me. For it to be most effective however you have to know who the individual is and more or less what it is that they cast at you. But a binding or shield also works. Cleansing can help release any remaining energy on a person or a place that has been cursed.

My wand that I personally use I crafted from something I found in the woods. I fasted it to myself as a personal instrument and I only did minor physical changes to it. I wrapped the handle in soaked bark from the tree I assumed it to be from and whittled it a little. It is fairly strait which is one thing that drew me near. I have had no complaints with it. Typically I use an athame though. And I have a staff but I don't think I've used it but once.

Well Midnight Rain, as I said before, I have run out of questions. You have satisfied my curiosities and I thank you for your patience and for your input. All is appreciated. I particularly liked you sticking your tongue out at me it shows a sense of humor that a lot of witches do not have.

 

[Midnight Rain]

Well Midnight Rain, as I said before, I have run out of questions. You have satisfied my curiosities and I thank you for your patience and for your input. All is appreciated. I particularly liked you sticking your tongue out at me it shows a sense of humor that a lot of witches do not have.

Thank you for the questions and I am glad to have been able to answer them. I have always had a good sense of humor (at least I think I do) and some witches are rather solemn. But this new age we live in is far more accepting than even just a few decades ago of paganism and new age thought. I am glad I have not had to suffer as some of our very recent forefathers have suffered. It leaves some scarred.

 

[mystic64]

Thank you for the questions and I am glad to have been able to answer them. I have always had a good sense of humor (at least I think I do) and some witches are rather solemn. But this new age we live in is far more accepting than even just a few decades ago of paganism and new age thought. I am glad I have not had to suffer as some of our very recent forefathers have suffered. It leaves some scarred.

It is accepting because most do not believe that it exists . If you and I and others like us were taken seriously, then the whole mess would start all over again. Or everybody would have to learn how to defend themselves against it. "People need to know.", "People have the right to know.", or those of us that can, battle the darker ones quietly behind the scenes. Midnight Rain, you are treading on dangerous ground if anybody takes you seriously . Including the dark side which might challenge you just for fun. And just for the record, returning the energy back to the caster when you are playing with the big boys is a very dangerous thing to do. Because, they feed on that energy and all you do is make them bigger. The best way to handle most everybody inclined to be not nice, so to speak, is to "nuke" their heart center with loving golden white light and then put a warlock on the binding. Darkness can not exist in the presence of light and over time they become "gonners". Which is why darkness has to watch its step around those that are welding "Loving Light". The object is to trick them into thinking that you are an easy mark and then nailing them . God but I love this stuff!

 

[Midnight Rain]

It is accepting because most do not believe that it exists . If you and I and others like us were taken seriously, then the whole mess would start all over again. Or everybody would have to learn how to defend themselves against it. "People need to know.", "People have the right to know.", or those of us that can, battle the darker ones quietly behind the scenes. Midnight Rain, you are treading on dangerous ground if anybody takes you seriously . Including the dark side which might challenge you just for fun. And just for the record, returning the energy back to the caster when you are playing with the big boys is a very dangerous thing to do. Because, they feed on that energy and all you do is make them bigger. The best way to handle most everybody inclined to be not nice, so to speak, is to "nuke" their heart center with loving golden white light and then put a warlock on the binding. Darkness can not exist in the presence of light and over time they become "gonners". Which is why darkness has to watch its step around those that are welding "Loving Light". The object is to trick them into thinking that you are an easy mark and then nailing them . God but I love this stuff!

It depends on what you mean by "the big boys". I haven't had to combat anything with magic except for one instance with an entity. At least never something serious. Though curse-breaking has always been an unusually heightened interest for me. Have you simply been involved with some darker individuals or are you talking about darker entities?

 

[mystic64]

It depends on what you mean by "the big boys". I haven't had to combat anything with magic except for one instance with an entity. At least never something serious. Though curse-breaking has always been an unusually heightened interest for me. Have you simply been involved with some darker individuals or are you talking about darker entities?

Both. And Midnight Rain I appologize for the "big boys" phrase. It had a sexest quality to it that was not intended. I should have said, "playing with the bigger negative folks."

"Curse-breaking." Humm? Curses can come in many forms and the problem with the "bigger negative folks", both those in a physical body and those not in a physical body, is that you never see them because they are masters of discuise. And they are like catching the really big fish, they are really sensitive about taking the hook. Mostly you are just up to your tush in minions and most of the time the minions do not even realise that they are minions. If you stand for good and you are a bit pushy about it, you do not find them, they find you because you are a threat. And the first thing you have to deal with is their minions. This is because the really bigger folks are not going to directly interact with you unless they think that they are way bigger than you. They are bullies, pure and simple. Ha ha hee hee, you can't catch me! Because you can't find me !

"Curse breaking." An angry dark thought is a curse in motion just like a loving thought is a curse in motion if directed toward an angry dark thought, because thoughts are things and they create realities. Spells are formalized thoughts, but thoughts do not need to be formalized to be functional curses . So, when you as an empath feel a dark malignant thought aimed at you, you then create a formalized thought (spell) to shield you from the negative effects of that dark malignant thought. And you have in all essence broken a curse before is even happens, if your shielding spell works. As an empath you can feel a curse forming before it is actually fomalized and stop it at the thought stage before it is formalized.

There are two kinds of witches, those that are mechanical and use only formalized thoughts and tools and those that are empathic and use versions of formalized thoughts and tools. To me the second kind is a true witch and you have to be born an empath to be that kind of witch. And the second kind of witch can "break curses" before they even form. Midnight Rain, you are one of the second kind witches.

 

[Midnight Rain]

Both. And Midnight Rain I appologize for the "big boys" phrase. It had a sexest quality to it that was not intended. I should have said, "playing with the bigger negative folks."

I know and I didn't take offense to the term. I meant was it physically people as in other witches or were you talking about what some may call "demonic"?

"Curse-breaking." Humm? Curses can come in many forms and the problem with the "bigger negative folks", both those in a physical body and those not in a physical body, is that you never see them because they are masters of discuise. And they are like catching the really big fish, they are really sensitive about taking the hook. Mostly you are just up to your tush in minions and most of the time the minions do not even realise that they are minions. If you stand for good and you are a bit pushy about it, you do not find them, they find you because you are a threat. And the first thing you have to deal with is their minions. This is because the really bigger folks are not going to directly interact with you unless they think that they are way bigger than you. They are bullies, pure and simple. Ha ha hee hee, you can't catch me! Because you can't find me !

And this portion answered that question for me.

"Curse breaking." An angry dark thought is a curse in motion just like a loving thought is a curse in motion if directed toward an angry dark thought, because thoughts are things and they create realities. Spells are formalized thoughts, but thoughts do not need to be formalized to be functional curses . So, when you as an empath feel a dark malignant thought aimed at you, you then create a formalized thought (spell) to shield you from the negative effects of that dark malignant thought. And you have in all essence broken a curse before is even happens, if your shielding spell works. As an empath you can feel a curse forming before it is actually fomalized and stop it at the thought stage before it is formalized.

This is true. It feels like a dark energy and then you experience the negative effects of it later. Shielding is important but disrupting the energy I find to be better.

There are two kinds of witches, those that are mechanical and use only formalized thoughts and tools and those that are empathic and use versions of formalized thoughts and tools. To me the second kind is a true witch and you have to be born an empath to be that kind of witch. And the second kind of witch can "break curses" before they even form. Midnight Rain, you are one of the second kind witches.

I don't disagree.

 

[mystic64]

This is true. It feels like a dark energy and then you experience the negative effects of it later. Shielding is important but disrupting the energy I find to be better.

A good offence is the best defence . And disrupting the energy is the best offence because it does not feed the source. All things in creation have a vibrational frequency and all fibrational frequencies have a vibrational frequency that cancels that frequency. So if one creates the anti frequency to the force that one is facing, then that force just ceases to exist and is no more at the point of contact. And what is funny is that the darkside folks can not do this. Only the lightside folks have the ability to do this, if they choose to. And I have absolutely no idea why. It works the same way with breaking a curse. One creates the anti frequency to the frequence of the binding of the curse and the curse binding just ceases to exist. The main problem with the darkside ones is that they take things to the physical and create physical confrontation with their minions against the rest of us that just want to have a life and get along. At that point it becomes psychological warfare and witchcraft becomes an empath mind energy game. Because only an empath witch can find and confront the darkside ones at their source (without being distroyed ) so that darkside folks can be contained by the physical folks. The Christian Bible mentions something about, "No place to hide !" But that is the future and right now we are all just mudling along and hoping for the best.