Book 2 Of Wicca.pdf

All One Wicca:

A Study in The Universal Eclectic Wiccan Tradition

Book Two: A Grimoire

One of the tools of ancient sorcery and Witchcraft was the Grimoire. More than a book of

“spells,” the Grimoire was an instruction manual, telling the Witch or Sorcerer many of the

“secrets” of the universe. I’ve gathered together thirteen secrets from a number of Grimoires and

Books of Shadows, both modern and ancient, for the use of the solitary and coven Wiccan with

no grimoire of his/her own. The information here is not wholly Wiccan, and what is Wiccan is not

wholly Universal Eclectic Wiccan, but anyone with an interest in old ways may find much of what

lies within useful. My suggestion is that one use this as a starter grimoire, building their own

from this point forward. I’m a bit of an old mule in my separation of the Grimoire and the Book of

Light, I know that many gather it all into one great tome, with all their little bits of knowledge

interspersed with prayers and rituals, but I like to keep them only partially together, if at all. The

first three ring binder I bought spared me endless rewrites in blank books, and since then I’ve

never kept a tome in anything else. I can’t give enough praise for expandable tomes, so if you

desire to separate your Sacred Book into Grimoire, Journal and Book of Light, consider that each

side will grow at a different rate and leave space accordingly.

As a Teacher, one of my strongest problems is my handwriting, my students will twist and turn

their head trying to figure out the peculiar backslant that my notes and journals are inscribed in.

As a result, I have since turned to a computer and printer instead of a blank book and a pen. My

feelings are mixed, on one hand, a floppy Grimoire just doesn’t seem to “feel” very Pagan, but on

the other, my students look over my notes and understand them. I’ve decided that it is I, not the

computer, who is doing the writing, and that it is more important to be legible than traditional.

Much of what I studied in writing All One Wicca were personal journals, so I realize that with the

changing of technology my disks will become obsolete. As a result, I print everything out in

duplicate. Hopefully, if Wicca becomes suppressed, these printouts will not read like some of the

“translations” of the great metaphysicists of the past, with the word “Illegible” in the middle of a

spell or worse, the translator’s best guess.

All One Wicca:

A Study in The Universal Eclectic Wiccan Tradition

Book Two: A Grimoire:Section 1:Altars and Altar Cloths

Altars and Altar cloths:

”An Altar should be made from wood, no metal, excepting those Altars with compartments in

which to hide the Blessed Book, which may contain metal if the metal is needed for the hidden

space.” -A Fam-trad

”We crafted our Altar from an old tree stump and by the second year it had been sprinkled so

often that the wood had somehow sprouted a new tree....S suggested a mirrored Altar for the

moonlight rituals.....this felt to us like it doubled the full moon that night.”-Wolf Moon Coven

The Altar is the sacred space upon which tools are kept. Two main forms of Altars exist, round or

pentagonal altars which stand in the middle of the circle or rectangular ones placed against walls

or the far east of the circle. Both are fairly simple to make, although a pentagonal altar requires

more work. Decorator tables are good, cheap altars, but can’t hold much weight. Chief among

the “bonuses” of decorator tables is the fact that they either fold up or have removable legs for

storage and transport. Some decorator tables are all wood instead of wood and metal, fulfilling

the requirements of some trads.

To make a round altar simply, take a wooden crate and glue a round piece of plywood to it, or

attach three, four or five equal length “legs” to a single piece. One modern Book of Shadows

suggests five decorative posts, cut at slight angles, glued with silicone to a plate glass mirror. If

you have a root worker who twists willow roots into stands and chairs, that would make a

sturdier stand for a mirrored altar. Mirrored altars are fairly new, although The Sacred book of

one Fam-trad has a reference to a two-hundred year old one. As a practical matter, mirrored

altars double your light, but they also scratch, break, and weigh a lot. They are wonderful

stationary altars outside or in, but lousy if you plan to move a lot.

A “T” altar is easy to make, simply glue three pieces of wood together , for strength, add a

fourth or fifth. They tend to tip when built too narrowly, so be careful.

A 6 piece “T” Altar for stationary use. Can be Glued, Nailed or assembled with a sliding joint

assembly.

Altar Cloths are circular or square and hang about half way to the floor. Usually an altar cloth is

White, although many lunar rituals use black or deep blue altar cloths. The Night Sky cloth, or

Universe cloth is studded with small stars that are either “nailheads” sequins or needlework and

is sometimes used in fancier rituals. If you are going to use an untreated cloth, make sure it’s

cotton, because cotton doesn’t tend to burn quickly. To be safe, either put a piece of glass

(round table glasses are available at many department stores at reasonable prices) on top of the

Altar or spritz the altar with water before the ritual. An altar glass is a wonderful thing if you wish

to use your cloth more than once, since wax is very difficult to remove from many materials. A

Glass is not optional if you intend to use velvet! Velvet burns fairly easily, reacts poorly to salt

water and is nearly destroyed by better waxes (Like beeswax.) The Altar glass, backed by black

velvet, is used for Scrying by the more Magickal trads, and, while not as effective as a mirror,

does improve the amount of light your candles give. It’s not a staggering investment, and if you

can keep it in one piece it saves money in the long run. Make sure to felt the bottoms of very

hard (like iron) candleholders before keeping them on the altar, and if your athame is to rest

unsheathed place a small square of cloth beneath it.

Altar cloths are rarely colored if the candles are. I’ve seen a few rituals where the candles and

cloth matched or were complimentary colors, but most use a colored cloth with white candles or

colored candles with a white cloth. The Altar cloth color is considered the same in meaning to a

candle color, so use the chart for candles for cloth colors.

All One Wicca:

A Study in The Universal Eclectic Wiccan Tradition

Book Two: A Grimoire:Section 2:Basic Herbalism

Herbalism tidbits are found in many Books of Shadows, and many books on Wicca, but the best

herbalism books are often non-Wiccan in nature. For more information on herbs, look in the

Food, Cookbook, or Alternative Medicine sections of your bookstore or library. The following is a

very partial compendium of herbs, listing some of their uses, some of the Gods to whom these

herbs are considered sacred and the Zodiac signs they are attributed to.

It should be noted that Herbalism is NOT a “Wiccan Thing,” Herbalism is a science and study that

many, many Wiccans do, but it is neither mandated by nor truely a part of the study of Wicca. A

recent trend in new traditions of Wicca is to exclude students who don’t know a certain amount

of herbalism. I CANNOT express my distaste for such behavior loud enough.

ACACIA (Acacia Senegal) Also known as: Arabic, Cape Gum, Christ’s Crown, Egyptian Thorn,

Gum Arabic Tree, Thorny Acacia.

Indigenous to: Northern Africa

Sacred to: Diana, Ishtar, Osiris, Ra. Burned on Hindu and Buddhist sacred fires. In Judeo-

Christian Mythology, Acacia was the wood of the Ark of The Covenant and The Sacred

Tabernacle, and Thorny Acacia was the plant from which Christ’s Crown of Thorns was made.

Common uses: Powdered, dried acacia gum is added to hot water to from a throat coating

mucilage that also prevents diarrhea.

Zodiac correspondence: Mars, Scorpio.

ADDER’S TONGUE (Erythronium Americanum) Also known as: Dog-Tooth Violet, Rattlesnake

Violet, Snakeleaf, Yellow Snowdrop.

Indigenous to: North America

Sacred to: Hecate, Diana, Luna, Persephone

Common uses : Skin conditions

Zodiac correspondence: Moon, Cancer

AGAVE (Agave Americana) Also known as: American Agave, Century

Indigenous to: Hot, Arid, North and South America

Sacred to: Mayauel. Considered the Mexican sacred “Tree of Life and Abundance”

Common uses: Decoction of sap used for tonics and laxatives

Zodiac correspondence: Mars, Venus

ALDER (Alnus Glutinosa) Also known as: Black Alder, European Alder, Owler

Indigenous to: Europe, Asia, North Africa

(Alnus Rubra) Also known as: Red Alder, Oregon Alder

Indigenous to: Northern California, North to Alaska

(Alnus Serrulata) Also known as: Smooth Alder, Hazel Alder

Indigenous to: Nova Scotia south to Virginia, The Great Lakes, Louisiana and Florida

Sacred to: Astarte, Bran, A sacred tree of the Druids.

Common uses: Used dried and powdered or infusions for astringent purposes, also a sore throat

gargle.

ALLSPICE (pimenta officialnalis) Also known as: Clove pepper

Indigenous to: South and Central America, Islands of Central America

Sacred to: Uranus

Common uses of: As a spice, a warming tea or for gas.

Zodiac correspondence: Uranus

ALMOND (prunus amygdalus) Also known as: Greek Nuts, Maiden’s tears.

Indigenous to: Mediterranean

Sacred to: Kerridwen, Jupiter, Thoth, Psyche, Demeter. Myth: Phyllis, a Thracian princess left at

the altar was turned into an almond tree by the gods, her tears became the inner “nut” of the

tree.

Common use: High protein food, used in non-dairy “milks”

ALOE (aloe vera) Also known as: Barbados Aloe, Curacao Aloe.

Indigenous to: Most Tropical Islands

Sacred to: Hecate, Mars, Zeus

Common uses of: All purpose gel within leaves used as a base for other external remedies, good

for burns, bug bites, scar prevention. A natural absorbable and water-soluble lubricant as well.

Zodiac correspondence: Mars, Venus

ALTHEA (althea officinalis) Also known as: Marshmallow, Witchwet, Wymote.

Indigenous to: Wetlands

Sacred to: In the Arthurian Mythos, althea grows in the sacred pools of the various mystical

women who appear within them, it is used as a base of “charms” a substance to hide potions

within.

Common uses of: Food plant with alternate usages much like aloe vera.

Zodiac correspondence: Moon

AMERANTH/AMERANTHUS (ameranthus hypochondriacus) Also known as: Lady Bleeding,

Cockscomb, Prince’s Feather.

Indigenous to: Central United States, cultivated in Europe

Sacred to: Artemis, Aphrodite, Diana, Venus.

Common uses of: Astringent, “broken heart charms.”

Zodiac correspondence: Saturn

ANGELICA (angelica archangelica) Also known as: European Angelica, Garden Angelica,

Witchbane, Witchware.

Indigenous to: Damp areas, Europe, Asia

( Angelica Sylvestris) Also known as: Angelweed, Goutweed, Wild Angelica.

Indigenous to: varies

( Angelica Atropupurea) Also known as: American Angelica, Angolan, Purple (or violet) Angelica,

Purple (or Violet) Angel.

Indigenous to: North America

Sacred to: Angels, supposedly a monk was given a recipe that warded off the plague by an

angel. The weed used was angelica. It was believed no Witch could stand the sight of angelica,

and thus it was put in herbal brews by Cunningfolk to “prove” their faith.

Common uses: High doses may be harmful, and at least two poisonous plants resemble angelica,

so avoid using it unless you are very sure about what you have.

Zodiac correspondence: Sun, Leo

ANISE (Pimpinella Anisium) Also known as: False Licorice Seed, Italian Licorice.

Indigenous to: widely

Sacred to: Apollo, Mercury, Osiris

Common uses: Flavoring, cramp and nausea reliever

Zodiac correspondence: Moon, Aquarius

APPLE (Pyrus Malus) Also known as: Apple, various varieties.

Indigenous to: Europe, North America

Sacred to: Aphrodite, Athena, Diana, Druids, Dionysus, Eris, Hera, . Myths: “Adam and Eve,”

“The Apple of Discord,” “Hercules and the Golden Apples of the Hesperides,” numerous Faerie

tales, inc. “Snow White”

Common uses: Food, mild laxative, healing and love charms

ARNICA (Arnica Montna) Also known as: Mountain Tobacco, Silver Witchweed, Silverwolf,

Wolfsbane

Indigenous to: Canada, US, Europe

Sacred to: Hecate

Common uses: DO NOT USE unless you are an herbal doctor, but plant in a decorative garden

for protection. Use gloves when tending it.

Zodiac correspondence: Zodiac, Capricorn

BALM (Melissa Officinalis) Also known as: Lemon Balm, Sweet Melissa

Indigenous to: Varies

Sacred to: Hecate, Juno, Pan

Common uses: Food, external poltice for irritations, mosquito repellent, aromatherapy, cramps.

Zodiac correspondence: Jupiter, Cancer

BARLEY (Hordeun Vulgare)

Indigenous to: Europe, North Africa

Sacred to: Odin, Demeter and “grain” gods.

Common uses: Food, anti-itch.

Zodiac correspondence: Saturn, Leo

BELLADONNA (Atropa Belladonna) Also known as: Deadly Nightshade, Dwale, Poison Black

Cherry.

Indigenous to: US, Europe

Sacred to: Bellona, Hecate, Hypnos, Morpheus, Somnus

Common uses: Do Not Use...Poisonous in small quantities.

Zodiac correspondence: Saturn, Capricorn

CALENDULA (Calendula Officinalis) Also known as: Garden Marigold

Indigenous to: Europe

Sacred to: Persephone and other “maiden” goddesses

Common uses: Cramp, gas and nausea relief

Zodiac correspondence: Sun, Leo

CAMOMILE or CHAMOMILE (Anthemis Nobilis) Also known as: Roman Chamomile, Garden

Chamomile.

Indigenous to: Europe

(Matricaria Chamomilla) Also known as: German Chamomile, Wild Chamomile, Witchdaisy.

Indigenous to: Europe

Sacred to: Apollo, Ares, Hera, Zeus

Common uses of: Calming, Muscle relaxant, appetite stimulator.

Zodiac correspondence: Sun, Leo

CATNIP (Nepeta Cataria or Nepeta Nepeta) also known as: Bast’s Tea, Catmint, Catswort, Field

Balm.

Indigenous to: All over

Sacred to: Bast, Freya

Common uses of: Similar to Chamomile, also good for upper respiratory and sinus infections.

Zodiac correspondence: Venus

CATMINT (Nepeta Musseli) also known as Purple or flowering Catnip.

Indigenous to: Dry areas where catnip is grown.

Sacred to: Bast, Freya

Common uses of: This ground-climbing sister of Catnip, with its purple flowers, can be used like

catnip, but is not quite as good.

Zodiac correspondence: Venus

CLUBMOSS (Lycopodium Clavatum) Also known as: Foxtail, Staghorn, Wolfclaw.

Indigenous to: Varies

Sacred to:?

Plik z chomika:

Inne pliki z tego folderu:

Inne foldery tego chomika: