For our upcoming esbat, our exercise is going to involve scrying. Scrying is easy once you get the hang of it, much like riding a bike.  Scrying is a divination technique that basically works by turning random patterns into meaningful ones, or by depriving the mind of sensation until it starts to impose its own input.  We are going to be learning it so that we can use it to catch glimpses into the world of spirit, for among all of the divination techniques, it is the most common one associated with communication and connection with non-corporeal realms and entities.

I consider that there are two forms of divination - pattern forming, and random indexing. Random indexing would be stuff like tarot, runes, etc - where you pull cards, stones, or other such objects and interpret the meanings of them. Pattern forming would be scrying of all sorts, such as tea leaf reading, casting the bones/sticks/stones/shells and examining the patterns that they form.  In using these methods, we are observing the patterns they form, thereby finding meaning in chaos. (We'll do more work with divination on a later esbat.)

The most popularly-known method of scrying is, of course, the crystal ball. One gazes into a clear, flawless crystal and lets the mind blank. Eventually, images start to form in the crystal, and the Witch interprets those images to divine an answer to her question.

I was reading recently about ganzfeld hallucinations, and thinking, "Wow. That's exactly like what we do when we scry."  There is a lot of scientific evidence that when the mind is deprived of input, it starts to form its own.  Similar things have been reported by people who spend time in sensory deprivation tanks.

http://www.mindhacks.com/blog/2008/11/ganzfeld_hallucinati.html

The procedure for creating a ganzfield hallucination is simple - cut a ping pong ball in half and tape it over your eyes. Turn on the radio and tune it to static. Lay back and watch, listen, and enjoy. Don't stand up too quickly when you return to earth.

The mind is so active, and it needs to find meaningful input, even when there isn't any that is readily apparent. As Witches, we learn to not just enjoy those patterns, but we learn to seek out in those patterns the answers to our questions, because in looking into the deeper parts of the mind in this way, we are able to access deeper levels of understanding not always readily available to us in our busy, cluttered, distracted and noisy minds.

Many ceremonial magicians use scrying in spirit conjurings. They put a black magic mirror into a "triangle of the art," (a triangle with names of power, magic words and symbols on it) and through their rites, they summon a spirit which they can see and communicate with by looking at it in the mirror. The triangle fences the spirit in, so it can't go running amok and causing havoc.

Magic mirrors and crystal balls may be common, but one can scry into anything that has random patterns. Since we are going to be going out into nature for Midsummer, and since Midsummer is typically a time when the world of spirits is active, we're going to try scrying into more natural things - running water, tree bark, a bonfire, clouds, shapes in stones and plants, and so on. Spirits of nature would most likely be seen most readily in things we find in nature.  Dryads are spirits of trees - so look at trees to see them. Undines are spirits of water, so look into the water to see them.

Did you, as a kid, ever lay outside and look at the clouds and find rabbits, birds, and dragons in them? I did - I would gaze up at the clouds for what seemed like countless lazy hours and observe the shapes they formed. Little did I know, I was doing a form of scrying. If you haven't done this in a while, try it out - scrying is easy, but it does take practice to get good at it. The more you do it, the more you'll be able to catch glimpses of the spirit life all around you.

Also, bear in mind, scrying does not just happen with the eyes. You can scry with sound, touch, possibly even smell and taste.  Though I've not personally had much success with these, I have heard people say, "Something smells bad here, let's leave," when they get a bad feeling about a situation. Perhaps they really are smelling something bad in the air?

Try listening to the random noise in nature, in the city, or anywhere in the world around you. See if you can hear anything in those patterns. If you want to get really experimental, play around with the idea with scrying by touch and smell.

Here are a few links on some other methods of scrying, with some exercises to help you better your abilities with scrying.

http://www.helium.com/items/311959-what-is-scrying-and-how-to-scry

http://paranormal.about.com/library/weekly/aa062998.htm

http://hermetic.com/browe-archive/ashort.htm

Also, if you are interested in learning more about the ceremonial magicians, and their use of the magic mirror, take a look at these wonderful videos by Carrol "Poke" Runyon, who is the founder of the Temple of Astarte in California. (http://www.templeofastarte.com/) He's very informative, and the videos give a lot of his own insights into the spirit world, spirits he has worked with, and how some magicians conjure, communicate, and work with spirits.

http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=927FE5133E7A98AD

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2695457525361072816#

When I mention alchemy to most people, their first response is, "Yes, it would be wonderful to be able to transform lead into gold."  Now, when I read deeper into alchemy, it becomes evident that through the pursuit of early versions of chemistry, the alchemists were learning spiritual truths in their sciences, and scientific truths in their spiritual pursuits.  The materials they worked with all had spiritual as well as physical properties.  Those who have studied alchemy have often come to the conclusion that "turning lead into gold," was a reference to turning the lead of the base, unawakened man into the gold of the awakened, spiritually rich man.

Well, that's nice when it comes to metaphor, but I have a different, more worldly understanding of this phrase, "lead into gold."  In the past few weeks, Onix and I have been hard at work learning the arts of metalworking.  We built a small foundry in our backyard, in which we have been melting down scrap aluminum.  Drink cans, old computer parts, and the like have all gone into the iron cauldron, which sits in the middle of a thick refractory concrete wall, and is heated to at least 1221 degrees F, and then poured into molds shaped in sand and plaster.  We have made a few nice things, but so far it is all experimental.  However, we both have big plans for the capabilities we will have once we are able to transform aluminum cans into beautiful and useful things.

It is a simple economic principle that a material gains value when work is applied to it.  Iron ore is very cheap to come by.  Refining the ore to extract the iron out takes work - human skill and energy is required to turn the mostly useless ore into a useful pure iron.  So, pure iron, obviously, costs more than iron ore.

Now, put that pure iron into the hands of a master craftsman.  That craftsman sweats over her forge, lovingly shaping the iron with hammer and anvil, coals and bellows.  She has spent years learning her craft, and now is spending her physical and mental energies into shaping that simple piece of iron into a beautiful wrought iron chandelier which she sells for hundreds, or possibly thousands of dollars.

Thousands of dollars translates into a pretty large chunk of gold.  The craftsman did exactly what the alchemists were questing for - she turned lead (or in this case, iron) into gold.  The magic that happens is simply transformation.  When we apply our skills and our knowledge alongside hard work and determination, we too, can transform lead into gold.

Onix and I will be turning aluminum cans, which would normally go to the curb for recycling, into artistic pieces, useful parts for our projects, and other handy things. We transformed some aluminum cans, on our first run, into a pretty pentacle design, and a replica of the head of a cat statue I have.  They're a bit rough, sure, but not too shabby for a first run.

As with anything in life, as we continue to practice, our skills will increase and our work will become more beautiful, more intricate, and have more value.  In fact, it is the only way to build value and skill in our pursuits.

"Results? Why, man, I have gotten lots of results! If I find 10,000 ways something won't work, I haven't failed. I am not discouraged, because every wrong attempt discarded is often a step forward...." - Thomas Edison

Any person involved in doing anything creative and working to better their skills at it turns lead into gold.  In the house that I am currently renovating, I am putting my energy in with all the hard work on the floors and walls, and that will transform into gold when we sell this house.  I transform cloth into clothing.  I transform ingredients into bread.  I transform empty databases and empty files into web sites and graphics.

How do you transform lead into gold?

Spring is in full bloom, and I find that this is the best time of year to work with developing the senses.  After all, there is so much to see, to hear, to smell, to taste and to feel, and the air is just buzzing with life.  The focus of our work this month is exploring the senses more deeply, learning to become more familiar with our five senses.  After we explore our senses, we will be using what we learned to develop our skills at visualization, which is one of a Witch's most powerful tools.

Renowned magician, Phil Hine, published an excellent article with a number of exercises to help enhance and explore one's own sensory awareness.  Though we will be doing a few of these exercises (and a few others not listed on here) in our full moon circle this month, I encourage anyone who wishes to better their skills to challenge themselves with these exercises and techniques outlined in his article.

Phil Hine's Sensory Enhancement Exercises

We gather to meet and greet at 7pm, and circle starts at 8pm sharp on Sunday, April 25.  Please contact us for more details.

In our circles, we say, "As above, so also below."  This statement comes from the Emerald Tablet of Hermes Trismegistus, in which the text originally reads, "Truth! Certainty! That in which there is no doubt!  That which is above is from that which is below, and that which is below is from that which is above, working the miracles of one. As all things were from one."

I have always loved that part of our ritual, where we affirm our unity with all, where we affirm that we are the Universe, and the Universe is us.  When I find visual representations of it, I am always amazed and excited to see more evidence of this ancient truth.

Our grove is a place to introduce and welcome new people to the Craft.  The concept of a grove is a relatively new one, and one I feel is worthwhile. The grove is a place and a time where you can get to know the people in the coven.  It is where you can discover the way we practice the Craft.  It is where you can discover our particular approach, philosophy, and methods and determine whether or not they are right for you.

In our grove, we celebrate an esbat every full moon and the eight sabbats.  Our sabbat celebrations are times to party and have fun, and rarely do we do any work on sabbats unless it is absolutely necessary.  Sabbats are times to explore and appreciate the turning year, and to grow closer to the cycles of nature through our ceremonies.  Esbats, on the other hand, are times for us to develop and grow as Witches.  We cast the circle, and then either study and practice some aspect of the Craft, or do some magical working.  Though esbats, too, are fun and joyful celebrations, we look at these as times to develop and better ourselves.  There is a time for work and a time for play, and we honor the need for balance in this, too, as a part of our Craft.

Though our workings in the grove esbats are meaningful and challenging, they are meant to give just an introduction so that you can explore some of the ideas that we will be studying and practicing in far more depth and detail in the inner court.   The grove is meant to be seen as a gateway, not a permanent home.  After period of regularly attending grove functions, you may ask to be initiated into the coven.  However, if after a few meetings with the grove, you decide that this path is not for you, we happily encourage you to continue seeking in other directions in hopes that you find your place.  The grove is the place where you can make this decision.

Initiation is a profound and transformative experience.  It is not to be taken lightly.  When one chooses to be initiated, he is choosing devote their heart, mind, spirit, and body to the pursuit of the Craft.  It is not to be rushed; you will have the entire rest of your life to practice the Craft.  Taking the time to ensure you have made the right decision will mean that should you decide to pursue initiation, you will know very firmly in your heart and mind that you have made the correct choice for yourself.

If you are curious about the Craft and would like to explore our practice by coming to one of our grove rituals, so long as you come with an open mind and an open heart, then we welcome you into our sacred space.