When I was first getting serious about the Craft, I felt bewildered by how expensive certain tools can be. And so I asked the people who were teaching me what I should do. They pointed out what gives tools their power, and showed me the real priorities. While some chalices can sell for as much as a small car, my first chalice came for less than a dollar. One of my other teachers told me of someone in her family who remembered when fear of discovery was genuine, and she needed to hide her tools in plain sight.

Magickal tools can be wonderful, and they can be invaluable in directing and focusing your energies. But never lose sight of what your main (and most powerful) magickal tool is. And so, if you choose to have and use magickal tools, some basic principles will make those tools powerful!

Blessed Be!

How do you deal with the results of divination? Whether it is something you've done or something that somebody did for you, how will you use the results? While most of us know better than to risk the family fortune on the advice of the horoscope printed in today's newspaper, Many people do make use of divination. The question is: How do you know that something is worth your time and energy?

There are certain tests available to you which can “separate the wheat from the chaff”. Much of this follows basic logic and common sense, but you do need to know where and how the logic is supposed to work. And then, if you are able to use some form of divination, a “second opinion”, compensating for differences in method, can be valuable.

Blessed Be!

While many will think of “Star Wars” if I mention 'the dark side”, some of us will think in terms of dabblers, wanna-be's and others who get in over their heads when messing with the spiritual. For that reason, much of initial training and a respectable portion of even advanced learning is devotes to knowing where and what the safe boundaries are. They are for your safety. Most people who have been in The Craft for any length of time can tell at least one story of what happens when someone crosses one of those lines.

This does not mean that you have to meekly accept a bad situation. Quite the contrary, most of us would feel an obligation when faced with certain issues. Two things are necessary here: knowledge of the boundaries, and a decent supply of creativity. You can do what you need to do without getting yourself into trouble.

Blessed Be!

So often, I hear people complain that there are so many primer-level books in The Craft, but so few advanced-level books. There are answers to that. I can think of several people I consider to be highly advanced and people I would see for instruction and advice. Ask any of them what they are up to, and they will talk about what they are learning. And when they begin to learn something new, that learning begins with a review of the basics that they've heard ever-so-many times before.

In many fields, you will here of incidents in which someone with enough experience and certificates to be considered a teacher makes an error with some really nasty results, and to most folks that error seems like a tiny thing. But as one teacher of mine said, “The bigger the problem, the smaller the cause”.For this and many other reasons, it behooves us to occasionally step back and review the basics. And sometimes, there might be new learning in the old stuff.

Blessed Be!

Just about everyone can think of something that they used to do and wishes they could do it again. This is just as true in spiritual pursuits as in anything else. I recently realized that I had been away from the Tarot for too long, and wanted to get back into it. My cards and my books had all “disappeared” in the sudden move, and I had to begin again.

Re-entering a pursuit can be very profitable. To begin with, you will get re-acquainted with it, and your learning will be on a new level. In my case, I found some people who actually know the subject instead of just offering their opinion. And, the books which I had once accumulated and lost were replaced by quality standard references.

Blessed Be!

Prayer has become a subject of much confusion. At one extreme you'll find the devout, including monks and nuns as well as lay people, At the other extreme are the people who only claim to pray and the people who use prayer as an alternative to taking action. Typical examples are the politician offering “thoughts and prayers” to the victims of a major crime or disaster, or the student who tries to pray to pass a test instead of taking the effort to study.

So, how is someone supposed to pray? Those of us who remember Christian Sunday schools may remember the teachers teaching us “Fold your hands, bow your head, and close your eyes.” We soon learn that doing those things are not always practical. But it does get a beginner to do one of the most important things that needs to be done in prayer. Follow that with a few basic principles, and you have the secret of powerful prayer!

Blessed Be!

Meditation is a subject that is much too “large” to do justice in one episode, but I can give you an overview which might help – especially if you are beginning, or feel like you are beginning. There are more meditation techniques and traditions that can be listed here, but there are some basic principles that are just about universal. Mediation is, in essence, listening. It might be to your inner self, higher consciousness, a deity or deities, or whatever.

Entire libraries, schools and monasteries have been built for the study and experience of meditation. Nevertheless, certain basic principles exist. But this episode will give you either a good jumping-off point for exploring meditation and, if you are experience, you might find this useful to see the breadth and depth of the subject.

Blessed Be!

Divination can be a powerful tool, if it is used wisely. To begin with, it is necessary to understand the difference between divination and so-called fortune-telling. Divination is a way to focus your instincts on a question and see what shadows we can see of things which are preparing be. Unlike so-called “fortune telling”, you remain in control and actions by the appropriate people can change what the shadows show.

There is a wide variety of tools and methods available for divination. You might find one that works for you, or in some cases, one s chosen for you either by circumstance or by a teacher. There are numerous books and other ways to learn, and as you progress, you will learn how to recognize someone who is actually authoritative.

Divination is a way to be in control of your life, provided only that you keep it in its proper perspective.

Blessed Be!

No subject creates more assumptions, presumptions, pronouncements, and avoidance reactions than death. When someone dies, there is usually a funeral which will have any of several possible functions, ranging from mourning someone's death to celebrating someone's life. But when it's your funeral, you might not be there, and we need to focus on what you will encounter.

The literature and scriptures of most spiritual paths usually describe three possible fates. There is a special place of reward for the elite whether they are warriors, saints, or other exemplary people. There is also a special place where the most evil of people suffer eternal punishment, usually for offenses against their deity. In between there is the larger place where most of us will probably find ourselves.

Wiccans commonly call this “The Rainbow Bridge”, which is an apt description. We do have some descriptions of near-death experiences, but daily life across the bridge is mostly speculation. But it appears we know enough about it to take some comfort.

Blessed Be!

Bullying is an epidemic.  It can happen on a kindergarten playground, a workplace, on the internet, or any other place you can imagine. Bullies can be schoolchildren, senior citizen, or anyone else in between. They can be any gender, race, religion or ethnicity. While some think of bullying in terms of fists in the schoolyard, bullying can also be verbal.

Bullies are much weaker than they pretend to be. In fact, they generally have their own problems, and some are guilty of the same perceived shortcoming that they attack others for! Or, they could be afraid of becoming one of “them”. And, the response must be credible.

Blessed Be!

People make all kinds of comments about religion and religious groups, whether you are talking about a major church, a Hindu ashram, a Wiccan coven, or any other you can list. While much is said about groups which have problems, most of them do not have such problems. Nevertheless, even if the problem is only one percent, how can you recognize that one percent? After all, one percent means enough instances that you need to keep your eyes open. And, just because it isn't “big enough” to get the attention of the TV news doesn't mean that joining the wrong group can ruin your day!

There are “red flags” which you can look for that will identify issues which will identify the group as one which has problems. You need to use your own judgment, and the issues can range from small irritations to valid reasons to leave immediately.

Blessed Be!