200 lines
12 KiB
Plaintext
200 lines
12 KiB
Plaintext
ÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜ ÜÜÜ ÜÜÜÜ
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ÜÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛßÛßßßßßÛÛÜ ÜÜßßßßÜÜÜÜ ÜÛÜ ÜÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÜÜÜÜÜÛßß ßÛÛ
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ßÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÜ ßÛÛ ÜÛÛÛÜÛÛÜÜÜ ßÛÛÛÛÜ ßÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÜÛÛÜÜÜÛÛÝ Ûß
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ßßßÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÜ ÞÝ ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛßßÛÜÞÛÛÛ ÛÛÛÛÛÜ ßßÛÛÛÞß
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Mo.iMP ÜÛÛÜ ßÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÝÛ ÞÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ ÞÛÛÛÛ ÞÛÛÛÛÛÝ ßÛß
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ÜÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÝ ÞÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÝ ÛÛÛ ÛÛÛÛÛÛ
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ÜÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÝ ÞÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ ÞÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ ß ÞÛÛÛÛÛÛÜ ÜÛ
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ÜÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÝ ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÝ ÞÞÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛß
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ÜÛßÛÛÛÛÛÛ ÜÜ ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÝ ÛÛÞÛÛÛÛÛÝ ÞÛÛÛÛÛÛßß
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ÜÛßÛÛÛÛÛÛÜÛÛÛÛÜÞÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ ÞÛ ßÛÛÛÛÛ Ü ÛÝÛÛÛÛÛ Ü
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ÜÛ ÞÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛß ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ ßÛÜ ßÛÛÛÜÜ ÜÜÛÛÛß ÞÛ ÞÛÛÛÝ ÜÜÛÛ
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ÛÛ ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛß ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÜ ßÛÜ ßßÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛß ÜÜÜß ÛÛÛÛÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÛÛÛÛÛß
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ßÛÜ ÜÛÛÛß ßÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÜ ßßÜÜ ßßÜÛÛßß ßÛÛÜ ßßßÛßÛÛÛÛÛÛÛßß
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ßßßßß ßßÛÛß ßßßßß ßßßßßßßßßßßßß
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ARRoGANT CoURiERS WiTH ESSaYS
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Grade Level: Type of Work Subject/Topic is on:
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[ ]6-8 [ ]Class Notes [Re-Thinking the Watch- ]
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[ ]9-10 [ ]Cliff Notes [Towers ]
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[x]11-12 [ ]Essay/Report [ ]
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[ ]College [x]Misc [ ]
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Dizzed: o4/95 # of Words:1710 School: ? State: ?
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ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ>ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ>ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ>Chop Here>ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ>ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ>ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ>ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ
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RE-THINKING THE WATCHTOWERS
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or
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13 Reasons Air should be in the North
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=======================================
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by Mike Nichols
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copyright 1989 by Mike Nichols
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(fondly dedicated to Kathy Whitworth)
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INTRODUCTION
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It all started 20 years ago. I was 16 years old then, and a recent
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initiate to the religion of Wicca. Like most neophytes, I was eager to
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begin work on my Book of Shadows, the traditional manuscript liturgical
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book kept by most practicing Witches. I copied down rituals, spells,
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recipes, poems, and tables of correspondences from every source I could lay
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hands on. Those generally fell into two broad catagories: published works,
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such as the many books available on Witchcraft and magic; and unpublished
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works, mainly other Witches' Books of Shadows.
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Twenty years ago, most of us were "traditonal" enough to copy
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everything by hand. (Today, photocopying and even computer modem transfers
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are becoming de rigueur.) Always, we were admonished to copy "every dot
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and comma", making an exact transcription of the original, since any
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variation in the ceremony might cause major problems for the magician.
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Seldom, if ever, did anyone pause to consider where these rituals came from
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in the first place, or who composed them. Most of us, alas, did not know
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and did not care. It was enough just to follow the rubrics and do the
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rituals as prescribed.
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But something brought me to an abrupt halt in my copying frenzy. I
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had dutifully copied rituals from different sources, and suddenly realized
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they contained conflicting elements. I found myself comparing the two
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versions, wondering which one was "right", "correct", "authentic",
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"original", "older", etc. This gave rise to the more general questions
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about where a ritual came from in the first place. Who created it? Was it
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created by one person or many? Was it ever altered in transmission? If
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so, was it by accident or intent? Do we know? Is there ever any way to
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find out? How did a particular ritual get into a Coven's Book of Shadows?
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From another, older, Book of Shadows? Or from a published source? If so,
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where did the author of the published work get it?
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I had barely scratched the surface, and yet I could already see that
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the questions being raised were very complex. (Now, all these years later,
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I am more convinced than ever of the daunting complexity of Neo-Pagan
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liturgical history. And I am equally convinced of the great importance of
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this topic for a thorough understanding of modern Witchcraft. It may well
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be a mare's nest, but imagine the value it will have to future Craft
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historians. And you are unconditionally guaranteed to see me fly into a
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passionate tirade whenever I'm confronted with such banal
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over-simplifications as "Crowley is the REAL author of the Third Degree
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initiation," or "Everyone KNOWS Gardner INVENTED modern Witchcraft.")
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CONFLICTING TRADITIONS
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The first time I noticed conflicting ritual elements was when I was
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invited as a guest to attend another Coven's esbat celebration. When the
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time came to "invoke the Watchtowers" (a ritual salutation to the four
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directions), I was amazed to learn that this group associated the element
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of Earth with the North. My own Coven equated North with Air. How odd, I
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thought. Where'd they get that? The High Priestess told me it had been
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copied out of a number of published sources. Further, she said she had
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never seen it listed any other way. I raced home and began tearing books
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from my own library shelves. And sure enough! Practically every book I
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consulted gave the following assoications as standard: North = Earth, East
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= Air, South = Fire, West = Water.
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Then where the heck did I get the idea that Air belonged in the North?
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After much thought, I remembered having copied my own elemental/directional
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associations from another Witch's Book of Shadows, her Book representing
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(so she claimed) an old Welsh tradition. Perhaps I'd copied it down wrong?
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A quick long-distance phone call put my mind at ease on that score. (When I
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asked her where she'd gotten it, she said she THOUGHT it was from an even
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older Book of Shadows, but she wasn't certain.)
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By now, I felt miffed that my own traditon seemed to be at variance
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with most published sources. Still, my own rituals didn't seem to be
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adversely affected. Nor were those of my fellow Coven members, all of whom
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put Air in the North. Further, over the years I had amassed lots of
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associations and correspondences that seemed to REQUIRE Air to be in the
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North. The very thought of Air in the East offended both my sense of reason
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and my gut-level mythic sensibilities. There are good REASONS to place Air
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in the North. And the whole mythological superstructure would collapse if
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Air were in the East, instead. If this is so, then why do most published
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sources place Earth in the North and Air in the East?
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RITUAL TAMPERING
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Suddenly, I felt sure I knew the reason! Somewhere along the line,
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someone had deliberately tampered with the information! Such tampering is
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a long and venerable practice within certain branches of magic. In Western
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culture, it is most typically seen among Hermetic, Cabalistic and
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"ceremonial" magic lodges. It is common among such groups that, when
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publishing their rituals for public consumption, they will publish versions
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that are INCOMPLETE and/or deliberately ALTERED in some way from the
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authentic practice. This prevents someone who is NOT a member of the group
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from simply buying a book, and performing the rituals, without benefit of
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formal training. It is only when you are initiated into the lodge that you
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will be given the COMPLETE and/or CORRECTED versions of their rituals. This
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is how such groups guard their secrets. (And it is a telling postscript
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that many scholars now believe modern Witchcraft to have "borrowed" its
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directional/elemental correspondences from ceremonial magic sources! What
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a laugh if this was Crowley's last best joke on his friend Gerald Gardner!)
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I remember the first time I became aware of such deliberate ritual
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tampering. A friend of mine had been making a study of the so-called
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"planetary squares", talismans that look like magic squares consisting of a
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grid of numbers in some cryptic order. There are seven such squares -- one
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for each of the "old" planets. While making this study, he began coloring
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the grids (more for his own pleasure than anything else), making colorful
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mini-mosaics, using first two colors, then three, then four, and on up to
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the total number of squares in the grid. Six of the planetary squares
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yeilded pleasing patterns of color. Then there was the Sun square! Against
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all expectation, the colors were a random jumble, with no patterns
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emerging. Thus, he began his quest for the CORRECTED Sun square. And I
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became convinced of the reality of ritual tampering.
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text missing
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------------
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7. MYTHOLOGICAL: In Celtic mythology, north is invariably associated
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with air. The pre-Christian Irish gods and goddesses, the Tuatha De
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Danann, were "airy" faeries (later versions came equiped with wings,
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relating them to sylphs). The Book of Conquests states their original home
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was in the north, "at the back of the north wind". And when they came to
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Ireland, they came in ships, THROUGH THE UPPER AIR (!), settling on the
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mountain tops. (It has always struck me as odd that some modern writers
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see mountains as a symbol of earth. The crucial symbolism of the mountain
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is its height, rising into the air, touching the sky. Virtually all
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Eastern traditions associate mountains, favorite abodes of gurus, with air.
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A CAVE would be a better symbol of earth than a mountain.) In Welsh
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mythology, too, Math the Ancient, chief god of Gwynedd (or NORTH Wales), is
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specifically associated with wind, which can carry people's thoughts to
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him.
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8. YIN/YANG: Many occultists believe that the four elements have
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yin/yang connections. Both air and fire are seen as masculine, while earth
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and water are seen as feminine. If air is associated with the north point
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of the magic circle, and earth is east, then one achieves a yin/yang
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alternation as one circumnambulates the circle. As one passes the cardinal
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points of east, south, west, and north, one passes feminine, masculine,
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feminine, masculine energies. This alternating flux of plus/minus,
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push/pull, masculine/feminine, is the very pulse of the universe,
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considered of great importance by most occultists. That it was equally
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important to our ancestors is evidenced by standing stones in the British
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Isles. At sites like the Kennet Avenue of Braga, the tall, slender,
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masculine, phallic stones alternate precisely with the shorter,
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diamond-shaped yoni stones.
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9. GENERATOR: This argument flows out of the previous one. Practicing
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magicians often think of the magic circle as a kind of psychic generator.
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Witches in particular like to perform circle dances to "raise the cone of
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power". Hand in hand, and alternating man and woman, they dance clockwise
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(deosil) around the circle, moving faster and faster until the power is
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released. This model has an uncanny resemblance to an electrical
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generator, as man and woman alternately pass each of the four "poles" of
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the magic circle. These poles themselves MUST alternate between plus and
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minus if power is to be raised. This means that if the masculine fire is in
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the south, then the masculine air MUST be in the north. If the feminine
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water is in the west, then the feminine earth MUST be in the east. If any
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adjacent pair were switched, the generator would stop dead.
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10. MASCULINE/FEMININE AXIS: When you look at a typical map, north
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(the cardinal direction) is at the top. Any north-south road is a vertical
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line, and any east-west road is a horizonatal line. Likewise, a "map" of a
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magic circle makes the vertical north-south axis masculine (with air and
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fire), while the horizontal east-west axis is feminine (earth and water).
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This makes logical sense. When we look at the horizon of the earth, we see
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a horizontal line. Water also seeks a horizontal plane. Feminine
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elements, considered "passive", have a natural tendency to "lay down".
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Fire, on the other hand, alway assumes an erect or vertical position. Air,
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too, can rise upward, as earth and water cannot. Masculine elements, being
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"active", have a natural tendency to "stand up".
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