Becoming Familiar with the Quarters

In my last post about calling the quarters, I said that it is helpful to understand the energies you are working with for each quarter. In order to help you with this, I will provide a few visual aids with explanations of how to use them to acquire a better understanding of the different directions.

Lets begin at the top point of the pentacle. This point represents Spirit, the God and Goddess and their many archetypes. It also represents sight. Not necessarily the conventional meaning of sight either. Think of all that you can see when your eyes are shut; seeing instead with your third eye, located at the center point of your forehead.

Going clockwise from there is the East point, representative of Air. This direction is also associated with the ability to hear. As I pointed out when I was explaining ‘sight’ above, hearing doesn’t just mean letting sounds come into your ears. To truly hear, you must listen.
This means hearing things that go unsaid, listening to your inner self (conscience), and being open to receive all voices, even when they don’t make a sound. Many people can relate when I explain how one might converse with a pet. We are able to understand (or hear) them even when there isn’t any sound being uttered.

Next is the South which is associated with Fire and touch. You probably get the idea by now, but just in case…. touch does not have to mean a physical encounter with an object. When I do my energy play, I can feel the energy between my palms. I may not have a physical object there, but I am touching the energy just as I’d touch a book or the microwave. You can also touch other people with this energy while never laying a hand on them. Have you ever heard anyone say that someone was staring at them so hard, they just had to turn around? Our energy is real and it is up to you how aware of it you choose to be.

Continuing clockwise, the North point represents Earth and the ability to taste. This is one that I have trouble with. It is difficult for me to go beyond the sense and see deeper than popping something in my mouth to create a taste. Anyone who can help me out with this, def leave suggestions in the comments!

The last direction is West which is linked with the element of Water. With this point, you are also working with your sense of smell. Like all of the other senses, scent can be used to heighten your spiritual experience. Certain scents can be used to induce certain feelings and states of mind…I will go over that in another post.
You may want to experiment with different incense, oils and perfumes. Record your experiences and emotions to find out what works for you.

My personal favorite for meditation or divination is the jasmine; for ritual I prefer dragons blood. Feel free to share your experiences in the comments section!

Goddess Bless!
🌱Aphynity

Goddess Bless

Free Wicca 101 Lessons:

Just when I was about to lose all faith in the decency of our Wiccan teachers, the right search term is beamed into my mind and I can smile again!

Who knew that in order to find free Wicca lessons all I had to do was type it into my search engine? I didn’t!

And so it was that the key to unlock free Wicca lessons is as simple as stating exactly what you want and typing it into my nifty little search engine! There are quite a few so this posting will be updated as I sift through the sites.

At the top of the list is (oddly enough) a wordpress blog. At least I know that I am among the like-minded. Thanks to Sorita d’Este and David Rankine, the Wicca lessons found here used to be available on a mailing list which you could sign up for by visiting their web page www.avalonia.co.uk Classes were available from 2000-2008 and when the duo began publishing books, the web site was converted into a new age book site. You can find the pairs books “Circle of Fire,” “WICCA Magickal Beginnings,” and “Towards the Wiccan Circle,” there.

Goddess Bless, they decided to blog the courses so that they would not just be lost. As every Witch knows, everything created has a purpose, and once something has purpose, it must fulfill its value. These courses are sure to fulfill their value for years to come.

Most are for beginners and cover the basic tenets of Wicca such as: What is Wicca, Origins of Wicca, Initiation, Self-dedication, What Wiccans believe, Ethics: The Rede, Goddesses and Gods, Wheel of the Year, Magick Circle, Sacred Space, Altars, and Shrines. As you can see, if you have been studying the Craft for a while then these courses are not much benefit, however, we all know a young Witch who may glean a bit of knowledge from such courses.

Find them at www.wiccalessons.wordpress.com

Law of Attraction:

“To know what you prefer instead of humbly saying Amen to what the world tells you you ought to prefer, is to have kept your soul alive.”

-Robert Louis Stevenson

This course may not be “traditional” but I urge you to check it out and see if it is right for you. Jack, as he calls himself, insists that you enter into the studies with an open mind and a pure heart. Each class is broken up into monographs (a document containing one topic). It is suggested that you do no more than one monograph a week. If you want to take your time and go at a slower pace, it doesn’t matter. He simply requests that students don’t try to rush through the lessons.

We are reminded that in any training it is up to the student to decide how much they would like to learn from the curriculum. The tenet, “To Keep Silent” is stressed, with a warning that should a student blab about what they are learning, the energy built thus far will quickly dissipate. There are no exams or quizzes but from what I gather, the Monographs are graded. Following each lesson is a ritual and a meditation so that one might begin to incorporate the lesson into their life straight away.

As far as I can see, there are two courses provided on the web site: The Law of Attraction and Success e-course and The Law of Attraction Wicca course. Those who prefer not to study similarities between The Law of Attraction and Wicca don’t have to.

If interested in either course, please check out the site by clicking here.

I will be following up on this course after I have a chance to review some of the monographs. Feel free to join me and publish your experience in the comments section!

As I’ve said, there are many other courses that are available free of charge and I will be updating this post as I go through them…..

Goddess Bless,
Aphynity

Dianic Wicca University

Distraction is unavoidable.  It has taken me far too long to put together this posting.

In looking for Wicca schools that are worth the tuition each inevitably charges, I’ve run across a tradition that I recently chose to do a research project on for one of my classes.  Dianic clergy priestess training is offered at www.wicca.dianic-wicca.com.  This website and the training offered are for women-born-females.  If you meet this requirement, your next step would be to create an account.  In order to do this, you must answer the questions in an application which goes to directly to Z. Budapest.  If you know anything about the Dianic tradition, you know that she has written many books about Goddess worship and Women’s mysteries.  She basically developed the Dianic tradition in the early 70s.  If you would like more information on this path you may also go to www.witchvox.com and search for the Dianic tradition.  Or you can wait for my research project to go up! You should know that there are co-gender Dianic traditions out there also.

In the spirit of staying on topic, however, I will quickly outline the questions on the application so that you have an idea of what might be asked:

Aside from the basics like your name, email, address, phone….Z. Budapest would like to know how long you have been practicing Goddess worship, why you began working with the Goddess, what specific Goddesses you work with, if you have read the ‘Holy Book of Women’s Mysteries,” and what personal goals you have.  The application is sent directly to Z. Budapest at zbudapest@gmail.com

Onto the courses they offer: For beginner students, you start out in the Holy Book of Women’s Mysteries.

Second Year students study The Wheel of the Year.  There are 12 homework assignments, 12 quizzes, and 3 destiny entries.  Upon completion of these, you receive a certificate and also advance to the next level.

Prices for each class range from $50 – $120.  Unlike other schools I have researched that ask for a yearly tuition, this school requires that you pay by the class.  This can get very expensive when you look at the number of classes in the Holy Mysteries curriculum alone.

That is all I will outline here, however, if you are interested in looking into  this program of study further, please visit the web site www.dianic-wicca.com

Descent of the Goddess

This picture is stunning. It depicts The Lord of the Underworld and the Goddess embracing.

I also took a story from the Wiccans Tired of Being Misrepresented Facebook page. It’s the best version I’ve ever read so hopefully you enjoy it also. Tomorrow I will be updating you on my classes and publishing some poetry here. Enjoy and Blessed Be!

Aphynity