Saturday, October 15, 2011

Prayer Techniques

I first like to "Star" myself before each prayer, this is to get my thoughts and energy into a magickal mindset or spiritual state of being. It also serves to purify my clattered thoughts at the time of prayer, this practice is similar to the Catholic "crossing" of oneself. Once my magickal mindset is ready, I begin each prayer by calling out to the God or Goddess I am praying to, mostly I pray to the Lord and Lady, the symbolic archetypes for the Universal Divinity or what I call "Great Spirit". People pray for a variety of reasons, it is a great tool to keep a strong bond with Divinity. However, people unknowingly abuse this tool by only using it to ask (or sometimes even demand) favors and requests from the Gods. This is a bad habit and all though it is alright to ask things of the Gods, one shouldn't be using prayer strictly for those purposes, instead use prayer to build a relationship with Divinity. Above all, one should use prayer to thank the Gods for what blessings are in your life now, show Divinity that you appreciate their blessings and give them love for all they have done for you. In fact it is probably best to start out every prayer by first thanking the Gods for blessings bestowed upon you, it doesn't have to be so abstract, simply thank the gods for the beautiful day, or the quiet night. After thanking the gods then proceed to ask a favor or help, be sure to thank and send love for any prayers answered by Divinity, you could also do this with what is known as an "offering". You can make simple offerings by lighting an incense that is particular to whatever deity you prayed to, or by leaving some food or other offerings symbolically connected to your deity. Another good way to honor deity is to give to their ruling areas of life or animals, (example: Adopt a cat and care for it to honor Bast, or donate to a women's center to honor Diana, or donate books to your local library to honor Thoth, these are also great places to leave offerings in honor of each deity).
 
Another healthy practice of prayer is to use what Scott Cunningham calls, "Effective Prayer" (from "Living Wicca), in which one must utilize both visualization and build/release energy during prayer. Visualization is focusing with your "minds-eye" on the outcome or purpose of your prayer, (example: while praying for protection one could visualize a sphere of impenetrable light surrounding oneself or one's family and friends), essentially this process is identical to using one's imagination. To build/release energy, will all power and charge one's prayer to be sent forth to the Gods. To build energy: as one prays and visualizes the purpose (or intent), one then focuses "Personal Power" building up in one's body. This is done by slowly tensing the muscle's, starting from the core (abdomen) and then tensing all the muscles of the body, you must do this until you begin to tremble from the build up of energy. Once you have built up enough energy, or you can no longer hold the energy you have built up, you are ready to release this energy into the universe. To release energy: you simply release the built up tension within your muscles and focus this power towards the universe, I usually see this energy as purple flames or mist leaving my body and spiraling up into the sky.
 
These are of course only suggestions, you must follow what feels right to you, but I would like to say that enriching one's prayer with one or all of these techniques will create a wondrous and powerful bond with deity. These techniques are what creates a "prayerful attitude" as explained by Cunningham, "A prayerful attitude consists of peace and hope resting on an unshakable spiritual foundation." (Living Wicca, pg.55)
Experiment and see what works for you, but above all, have fun and enjoy your connection to Divinity.

Beatus Esse,
Tytus Lionheart

Monday, October 10, 2011

Dressing Candles, Candle Magick


To "dress" a candle you anoint it with oil or salt-water, rubbing it into the candle from the center toward the ends. Always rub in the same direction. While dressing the candle you should be concentrating hard and visualizing on your magickal intent.
Candles are useful for magickal uses, the reason for this is quite clear and simple:
  • Candles are available in a wide range of colors and colors are directly related to magickal energies.
  • Candles absorb personal magickal energy easily.
  • When burned, candles release their energy over a period of time.
The candle itself, unlit, represents the element, Earth. When touched with fire, the candle melts, producing wax (representative of the element water) and smoke (the element air). This process of elemental symbology is another reason why candles are an accepted part of folk magick.

The Candles
Ideally, the candles will be of solid beeswax, colored with natural dyes and hand-dipped by the Caster (the magickal practitioner). In reality, candles are often made of parrafin, are artificially colored, and mass-produced by factories. Beeswax candles are available in many colors and (are said) to produce the best results, but any candle will work. It doesn't have to be expensive or hand-made, for candles are simply vehicles for the Caster's personal magickal power. Magicians usually select a candle for ritual by it's color, matching it's hue to the type of ritual they'll be doing. This isn't strictly necessary, for the color merely assists the Caster to accurately program personal magickal power. If you can't find the appropriate color for your spell, or you just don't have it, white candles can be used for every magickal purpose.

The Mortal Promise



 No wind could rattle the wide starring eyes of the corpse before me. The stink was suppressed by shock. It's putrid skin, green and rotting, sliding off the bones like sludge. Hard to believe this rotting thing once held breath. The face, mostly bones and scab, maintained a certain peace in it's horror stricken features. I took it all in like a shot of whiskey in the long hours of a sleepless night; it burned all the way down. My legs seemed stuck in the filth of the aging sepulcher, my eyes unable to look away from the sicking reminder of mortality and the promise of one day being digested into the Earth's darken gateways. Whatever manner of sorcery kept me there in petrified shock must have broke because suddenly the scene before me was changed. My legs and arms are moving quickly, as though in autopilot. I fled that ghastly sepulcher without a word or scream. I ran as fast as my body could manage, perhaps hoping my speed would keep that mortal promise at bay.
---Tytus Lionheart

Even Hell has Air Conditioning

Even Hell has Air Conditioning
By: Tytus Lionheart

When one crosses the lake of smoke and fire,
One crosses the path of fools and liars,
But even amongst these dirty weeds, one can still smell an evergreen.
For you see…even Hell has air conditioning.

Life is a blur of murky waters.
One is never sure when to take orders,
Nor when to give, even if it meant to live,
But without the dark parts of our minds, we could never see our soul’s true light.
Is it a candle struggling in the wind?,
Or is it an inferno, broad yet bent?
What one must always remember,
When down in the seas of embers,
That it is not what you think nor why, but how high.
Looks like the stars will have competition in their eternal existence,
For people may have been found broken and beaten,
But wounds can be mended,
And spirits can be raised, even from the ashes of our graves,
We can be reborn!

Discovering Wicca

By: Tytus Lionheart

 It is more likely that the title should read “Discovering Myself in Wicca”, because since my first steps on the path of the wise that is what I have been challenged with, discovering who I am and what is my purpose in this life. Wicca has changed my perspective on life and living in so many beautiful ways it is hard to think I can even begin to place them here in this article. I will do my best as my words and my ability in writing can allow. Wicca is more than magic, more than philosophy, more than a religion. It is a lifestyle and a commitment to self betterment through harmony with nature and the divine. It is a blend of all spiritual pursuits both ancient and modern. I will begin to explain my life before Wicca, then my life as I dedicated myself to learning and studying Wicca, how I kept to the Wiccan path all these years and years to come, my evolution and rebirth as a Wiccan, My present studies to become a Correllian First degree initiate and my future goals within the Correllian Natavist Tradition.
  In my early years before Wicca was a part of my life, I was a bit of an outcast even among friends. I always felt there was something missing from myself that I was being called to something greater than what was in my life at the time. I was struggling with roles presented by society and the supposed morals of the Christian religion I thought were missing within me. Even as a young boy in elementary school I was a recluse, preferring the company of few friends and more often than not I was alone at recess in a field of grass playing with my imagination. I can remember befriending abstract companions such as the wind, which I imagined to be a female entity I so cleverly named “Windy.” I would imagine with my brother and friends that we were warriors of great magical prowess, having the power to manipulate energy to my will. Back then I was sure it was all pretend, but now I know these qualities and aspects are what lead me to Wicca.
  In high school I shook off my reclusiveness as I embraced my inner self and accepted my homosexuality. Doing so challenged the societal roles and Christian morals that had limited my perspective of life. I began exploring different paths of living; different roles that I never knew existed. I explored other religions and spiritual concepts. After my sophomore year I learned about Wicca. At first I thought it was all smoke and mirrors until I came across some books and authors that would shape my understanding of not only Wicca, but also me and my role in life. “Wicca for the Solitary Practitioner” by Scott Cunningham and “Sons of the Goddess” by Christopher Penzack  were the first true teachings of Wicca that I had at the time. Both showed me basic principles of Wicca and magick, which fully absorbed me and my need for spiritual growth. After some time studying each book, I performed a self-dedication ritual, my first act of magick. I dedicated myself to the teachings of Wicca, to the study and application of magick, to discovering the Goddess and the God within me.
From then on I was studying magick and Wicca every day, reading lots of books on both subjects and on other traditions of the occult including Ceremonial magick, Chaos magick, reconstructive pagan religions and the different paths of Wicca. I became a solitary eclectic Wiccan, creating my own Book of Shadows and putting in it all the material I would use in creating my own personal Wiccan tradition. I would practice magick, exercise my psychic abilities with meditations, ritual and daily prayer. All I read were books on Wicca, the Occult and magick. I kept to the path by making Wicca apart of my every day, I prayed every day, studied ritual and practiced spell craft whenever the need arose. Wicca had become a part of my life. I learned a lot about myself as a person, as a magician I learned my strengths and weaknesses, I built my power of Will to change the world within me and without. I became happier, clearer in thinking, more broad in my perspective of life and living. Family and friends noticed a change in me, more vigor for life, more understanding of myself and the world around me. I was finally coming into my own, discovering myself. I learned that I’m more powerful than I had believed for many years. Things were and have been conforming to my Will, in positive constructive ways.
After about two years of study (overkill I know) I fully embraced Wicca as my way of life and performed a self-initiation. I honored Lord Hermes as my patron, the god of magick, healing, communication, and merchants. I felt such a strong connection to Him; I performed a ritual of dedication to His teachings not only in ancient Greece and Rome, but His Egyptian counterpart, Thoth, and the legendary Hermes Trismegistus. Hermes to this day is my patron God. I grew also to adore the stories of the goddesses Diana, Aradia, and Heckate. I felt connected to the Great Horned One aswell, an archetype and spirit of masculinity and male mystery. From these Gods and Goddesses I gained strength and wisdom. I feel their energy when I pray to them, when I call them in ritual and in my everyday life, I have felt their presence. I have had many answered prayers and blessings from the Goddess and the God and the forms they assume. It was to the full moon, Diana that I prayed and asked to find true love, to meet my soul mate. I asked Her to send me an angel, and shortly after I met my fiancé Mitch Mcknight, it was love at first sight. I have been truly blessed by the divine powers of the universe and for that I am thankful, for I have felt the Love of the Lord and Lady and it is beautiful.
After about 5 years of personal, solitary study I felt there was a need to expand on the spiritual foundation I had built for myself. I began researching traditions of Wicca, seeking training into priesthood. I wanted a tradition where I can keep to my eclectic nature yet have a strong base to grow from. Many paths caught my interest including Faery Wicca, Alexandrian Wicca, and some other neo-pagan traditions, but it was when I came across the Correllian Natavist Tradition that I found the path that resonated with the Wiccan philosophy and theology I already subscribed to in my personal tradition as a solitary. I am now currently studying the First Degree courses of the Correllian tradition, to become a Reverend of Wicca. I hope to take my training in the tradition all the way to my third degree and from there I want to open a Temple for the tradition here in California. I hope to join the Order of Herbal Studies, the Order of Reiki and the Order of Spiritual Advisors that are set up within the Correllian Tradition. I hope to one day meet and possibly work with Rev. Don Lewis of the High-Correllians, and many other legends of the Natavist Tradition and of the Wiccan community as a whole. I have found a purpose within my religion and I am working towards my initiation. From here I will continue to grow and study, to apply my spirituality into my every day and to be able to help others find their way in the Craft as well.
In conclusion, my discovery of Wicca has been a life changing experience and to this day I am inspired by my religion and its endless source of power, love and harmony. Wicca has changed me in many positive and progressive ways, making my life happier, my lifestyle more meaningful. I am thankful for all Wicca has taught me and for all the blessings the Lord and Lady have bestowed upon me and mine. It is because of Wicca that I have gained so much strength, wisdom and joy. My journey into Wicca continues to evolve and move forward each day, I have found my calling in this life and hopefully more lives to come will be benefitted from the teachings I have received in this life. May all that read this article come to understand that Wicca is a religion of personal power and a lifestyle of love in all its beautiful, glorious forms. I am a Wiccan, and I am blessed.

Ensared in your Being

Ensared in your Being
{For my fiance and future husband, my sun and stars.}
Your eyes are so attuning,
One look and I’m in your mind, comfortable and listening,
We are one person with spirits that enter twine,
I am sun, you are moon, you are sun, I am moon,
A force that connects us needs no words,
I feel you, your energy, your being,
It rings loudly within me; the vibrations are brazing yet wanted,
Your tune melts me and I am entranced with your being
Like a lotus-eater, I get a taste of your energy and I need more,
Ensnared with ecstasy, with knowing, with loving,
It is my heart that rings back to you,
I hope you are just as embraced within my being, as I am with yours,
Your glamour remarks the First Fascination of the Goddess to the God,
The first enchantment and it was for love, for lust, for wanting of being , needing of being,
Thus is the power of our love, we are blessed with enchantment,
 Every moment with you, is cherished and joyous.

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

The Wiccan "Beliefs" of Tytus Lionheart: Part 1

The Goddess and the God, Our Lord and Lady
·         Pray, meditate and connect with these aspects of the Great Spirit, or Universe (nature). It is natural to prefer one over the other but be sure to seek unity and understanding of both to be truly balanced and to attain true power.
·         Pray to the Lord and Lady with elaborate ritual or a simple prayer with energy and visualization; both have great values in your connection with the Goddess and the God. Do one or the other, but it is important to DO IT!
·         All of life and creation and all those beings apart of creation are children to the Lord and Lady, having the same worth and divine spark within each unique nature. The Goddess is our Soul, The God is the vessel (body), this is true of all Creation’s beings. Therefore we should be conscious of treating ourselves and all other beings in this realm with compassion and respect.
--- It is necessary to note that though compassion and respect should be the behavior of all Creation’s beings, it is not. Therefore respect and show compassion to yourself and those that deserve it first (those that treat you with the same compassion and respect). But to love Nature and all its positive and negative aspects is to show acceptance; which leads to power.
·         The Goddess and the God love you, unconditionally.
Summerland and Reincarnation
·         When a being of Creation dies, the soul rests in Summerland to process it’s experience and grow closer to it’s evolution back into the Goddess, or what is known as Divine Union. A soul is a part of  the Goddess and the Goddess is a part of the soul.
·         The soul will reincarnate into another realm of existence and may incarnate with people or beings we’ve known in other lives. We may incarnate into this realm again for many years or we may incarnate into a completely different realm of experience. It is all a part of each souls individual experience and growth.
·         Communication with the dead souls as we know them is possible, but must be done only to seek guidance or information to continue our growth and not to satisfy ego or as a way to withdraw from your responsibilities in this life.
·         Death is a part of this realm and can teach us if we are accepting to its lessons and do not fear or hide from it.
Magick
·         Magick is a practice and art form to cause change in accordance to Will. The “Will”  is willpower or desire. Magick is a gift from the Lord and Lady to find power in all realms.
·         Prayer is a form of magick called “Petition Magick” or “Divine Energy”.
·         “Magick shall not be used to bring harm, injure or control others. But if the need arises, Magick shall be used to protect your life or the lives of others.”—Scott Cunningham, “Living Wicca” This is a basic guideline for magickal ethics. It is the code of the Wiccan but its values hold different levels of constraint or merit within other magickal practitioners.
·         “Magick is used as need dictates.”--- Scott Cunningham, “Living Wicca” Good way to get positive results is not to abuse magick or use it impulsively.
·         “Use not magick for prideful gain, for doing so cheapens the mysteries of Wicca and magick.”--- Scott Cunningham, “Living Wicca”
·         Magick can be used for personal gain as long as attention is put into harming none from the outcome (this includes yourself).
·         Magick is a tool to help enrich our lives so we may grow and live a happy life. It can also teach and guide us towards strength and knowledge. Magick is a power that harmonizes our self with the Universe and creation. Through it we find ourselves, and who we truly are. Magick is transformation.

Monday, October 3, 2011

Merry Meet

This blog is an expression of myself as an artist, writer, Wiccan and activist. Mostly it is for myself, but if others find interests in my expressionsthat is wonderful and I am glad I can inspire others. I am an ecclectic Wiccan studying in the Correllian Natavist Tradition. I am also a beginner alchemist and herbologist. I find inspiration from nature, religion, occultism and the life around. I'm an avid reader and as such I love to write; be it poems, stories, spells, or just journaling. Tytus Lionheart is my craft name: Tytus is old polish (my ethnic background) for Fire, the element I feel most aligned to. Lion is my totem and emblem of self, aswell as my astrological sign Leo. Heart is an emphasis of my Leo traits of loyalty, honour, courage, strength, pride and honesty. As an activist I seek postive change in social justice and goverments. Love is Law in my philosophy and it is my personal mission to make this world a better place for all of Creation's children, I am a big suppoter of Equality California and the Human Rights Campaign. I believe that patriotism is more than just standing up for your country, I believe its standing up for what your country could be and should be. Anyways, thats all for this inroduction. I am excited to begin posting my material for this blog. Till next time. Beatus Esse.