Currents In The Ocean

All gods are one god, and all goddesses are one goddess, and there is one initiator. -Dione Fortune From the still and primal Darkness, floating in the realm of possibility emerges S/he who is the first emanation. From the Void S/he comes. A point of light that separates Being from the Cosmic Womb moves outward on the sheer joy of the manifest. Moving outward on the breath, blurring, taking form and taking shape, changing, merging, eternal. A myriad of color; a spectral force, moving through my body as I breathe and I know that I am not alone. Alive in my cells the Gods sing to me. I hear their tune and I answer with the pulsing of my heart. Moving inward on my breath, collapsing, changing, returning. A single point of light in the Universe, calling forth the Unity of all things. When I first began to seriously study the Craft I was troubled by certain modalities of thought that sought to explain the Universe in terms of a structured hierarchy, usually one that supported whatever power structures were in place within the organizational body of that particular religious tradition. My intuitive sense, even at that tender and awkward age, was that reality was in a constant state of flux, always changing, always yearning to create new forms. I believed then as I do now: that all of Creation strives to express itself in new and interesting ways. I remember my thoughts on gods and goddesses at the time, how inconceivable it was that these beings could somehow be separate from each other, if indeed we were all part of one being; one cosmic being experiencing itself through ourselves. My intuition called me to explore the idea of an ultimate Divinity, a Divine Source from which all else proceeded. I remember no book that I read on the Craft at that time speaking of such a concept, preferring to explain things in terms of interactions between the Goddess and the God, (explained as being separate powers) the mythological Lord and Lady reigning supreme from their celestial throne. When asked about a conceptual power behind these two beings, perhaps even a unifying force, I would be met with wide-eyed astonishment, or more usually, simply arrogant superiority. To focus on a singular Divine power or source was monotheism, I was told, and had no place in a polytheistic religion such as witchcraft.

Many a religious tradition has fallen prey to this trap of fixation, this idea that the Divine is somehow limited to certain qualities, aspects, faces, political affiliations, etc. By supposing that one has the only viable connection to Divinity (and that all others are therefore invalid) dangerously invokes a religious fanaticism that, by its nature of serving the ego and reinforcing whatever power structures are already in place, encourages the suppression of differing points of view, the destruction of indigenous peoples (whos traditional lifestyles are invariably in conflict with big business and the ideals of a religious structured hierarchy) and, by extension, the squandering of the earths natural resources. It is a mindset that we are all far too familiar with. One of the distinguishing marks of the Feri tradition for me has been in the recognition of the ambiguous nature of the Universe. Far from being a system that seeks to impose limits and definitions onto experiential realities, Feri seems to revel in the blurring of boundaries, taking sheer pleasure in the paradoxical, the anomalous, the Weird. The unfathomable power of chaos is at its very core, that primal churning of energy that is the beginning point for everything known, and unknown. The Star Goddess moves outward from Herself, taking several forms, blurring one into the next, taking on new aspects, becoming more focused, yet retaining the essential quality of what has gone before. All beings flow back into the ultimate source of all things. This implies that the underlying nature is a unified one, however this doesnt mean that any being will be just as useful for a particular purpose as any other. All goddesses are one Goddess, but this doesnt mean that I would find it useful to invoke Kali for a love spell, or Aphrodite for the destruction of an oppressive pattern. We find different points of focus along the spectrum that are aligned to different energies. We tune into varying frequencies in the waves of Divinity at different times, as we deem appropriate. I can understand mentally that the Blue God is, in one sense, a manifestation of the Star Goddess, but I also recognize that they feel quite different, and because of this possess different powers. Recently I had a dream. In this vision I was shown a window into the nature of the Star Goddess, specifically Her relationship to other Deities of the Feri tradition, and by extension to the Universe at large. In the dreamtime I see a light. The light from a black candle breaking across the darkness of the room, as my teacher and myself sit, breathing

in a rhythm, calling down the trance upon ourselves. We breathe, and the white flame becomes surrounded by a rainbow band, a prismatic nimbus that hints at the hidden powers within the light. I inhale, and the power moves outward from that light, becoming now something different; moving into a new form. Where there was one power, there are now two: Nimue and Dian y Glas, birthed from the white fire womb of the Cosmic Mother. It continues, riding on the waves of my breath, these two powers move outward still, changing from these child-like beings and maturing into the Great Mother, and the Harvest Lord, then finally into the Crone, and the Winter King. A point of stillness at the end of my breath, and then it returns on my exhale, these powers collapsing back into that from which they came, flowing backward into that point of light which contains them all: the white fire of the Star Goddess, flickering softly in the darkness of the Void. I awoke with a sense of purpose, determined to actualize what I had seen. I began to perform the exercise from my dream, slowly at first, following the pattern as laid out in my vision. It wasnt long, however, before the flow of power began to take on a life of its own, emerging into new configurations, new patterns that challenged the seemingly structured order that was present in the dream. I began to experience the interactions of specific Deities I had not associated with each other before. The Blue God flowing into the Winter King, forming a specific energetic vibration, a frequency that, in one sense, represented the revelation of a Deity previously unknown to me; a hybrid, a seeming paradox if I were to retain the rigid thinking that would force them to remain separate. I began to contemplate this being, allowing Him to show me his secrets, feeling His flow of power, listening to His whispers. Then I promptly forgot all about it. That is until quite recently. Working extensively with the Star Goddess as of late, I found myself bathed in Her fire. Resting in my heart in the form of an idol I created for Her, she pulsed with white flame as elemental fire raged into my body from the four directions. I awoke with a fever, drifting in and out of consciousness but always returning to the idol in my chest and the fire in my body. I felt as if my blocks to power were being, quite literally, burned away, leaving me pure and open. My fever grew and for a short time I was no longer able to make the distinction between this world and the next, being comforted by the singing of unseen children, and the constancy of

my vision. Then the being came. He emerged from the darkness to rest before my closed eyes. He was beautiful, appearing as if in his early twenties, triangular features, pale skin, jet black hair. His eyes were the blue of the star-lit sky infused with the still cool light of morning. He looked into me and aroused my desire for Him. He had a playful wickedness to Him, a sense of almost punkish sensuality that both allured and frightened. I wanted Him and found myself relaxing into Him. After a brief silence He told me that, now in my fever, I could come with Him if I chose to; I could leave my physical body and wander the Outer Darkness with Him as my shining guide. There was a definite sense of temptation, as if He, the Pied Piper of my dreamtime, were attempting to seduce me into choosing my own death and for a time I was indeed tempted. To look upon His face was to be filled with desire for Him. But to stand in His presence was also to be reminded of the importance of this reality, a sharpness that cut to the heart of the matter at hand. I looked into His eyes and gave Him my answer, that there was still more that I wanted to do here and thank you anyway. He responded by opening his cloak (Why had I not noticed it before?) made entirely from feathers. He had no body, but this was of no concern to me, as the focus of the vision was on the feathers: iridescent black but interspersed with those of a peacock, revealing a secret into the beings identity. He danced. In circles He danced, whirling like a dervish silently off into the Outer Dark. Then he was gone. By the next day my fever had broken and I was left to ponder my encounter with the nameless being. It was obvious to me that I had encountered, in vision, a Deity who had only previously been hinted at by the dream exercise; a blend of energies that produced a focal point where two different currents of power could flow into each other. This being, this amalgamation is, quite literally, the offspring, the Divine Child of Dian y Glas and the Winter King, merged together in Holy Bliss. The implications of this realization, especially for me as a gay man, were tremendous. No longer would I be able to impose onto the realm of spirit the limitations of the physical. Sex, gender, reproduction; we have definite ideas as to what these terms mean for the human animal. But moving into the areas of the spiritual these ideas reflect different, more core truths. No longer limited by the density of the manifest we are left to contemplate their energetic essence and begin to understand these forces as mutable,

flowing into each other, dancing together, making new forms, expressing to their fullest the possibilities of the erotic. To do so is to begin to touch the ecstatic. In my body I understand the fluid nature of the Gods and so I need no one else to validate, or categorize my experiences for me. In communion with the Divine I require no outside authority. I stand as a Sacred Gateway for spirit to flow into the world, however strange it may seem at times. With this experience comes the realization that we are all such a gateway, just waiting to be open and allow the Divine, and our true selves, to flow into the world. In this psychedelic realm we know that what we dream is real, and that in this sea of energy we call the Universe, we are all just swirls, temporary patterns that arise for a time and then are gone, returning to that from which we came. A current flows here under the waves, seemingly going against the tide, challenging what is known, revealing new possibilities. In this ocean of experience we swim, feeling our way through to the depths of our own being, and beyond. In this state we can hold on to nothing, our judgments and egos would just weight us down, and so we choose the only other path: to be open, and to allow ourselves to be led by the current of the Divine into bliss. To do this is to do nothing less than to choose our own liberation.
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Do You Believe In Magick? Recovering What Was Lost In Modern Witchcraft

any child worth their weight in Fairy Dust will tell you that the power of pretending is a formidable one.!-Storm Faerywolf To disbelieve in witchcraft is the greatest of all heresies.!-Malleus Malificarum When first confronted with the reality that witches still exist, one may be expected to entertain images of women gathered around a cauldron in the cloak of night, preparing certain potions and elixirs of great power in the

hopes of affecting the world of men. One might recall the medieval accusation, now a popular icon associated with the Craft, of a witch dressed in black, silhouetted against the backdrop of the full moon as she flies across atop her broomstick to attend, presumably, her secret rites. Folk beliefs hold that witches possess great power and are able to draw on that power to both hex and to heal as they see fit. To bless and to curse is the territory of the witch and, at least in popular literature, she is more than willing to explore its recesses and to cultivate the power that she finds there. After the Inquisition, when witchcraft and other alternative spiritualities and practices went underground or were lost, the belief in magick continued. In the late 1800"s, the emergence of several magical lodges dedicated to various forms of ceremonial magick began to propel the idea of magick into the public light. Magick, defined by Dion Fortune as being the art of changing consciousness at will was now no longer to be considered supernatural (outside of the laws of nature) but as a logical and deep spiritual relationship to nature itself. When the popular branch of witchcraft known as Wicca began to gain foothold in the publics awareness, the idea of magick as a fantastic force of mythological proportions began to wane. Magick, it was now explained, occurred in the most mundane and seemingly normal ways. There were no miracles, only the planting of psychological seeds that would hopefully grow and bear the fruit of spiritual fulfillment and emotional balance. Gone were the days of flying ointments and enchanted doorways leading into other worlds. Gods and Goddesses, once the great and mighty beings of honor and dedication, were now seen as being mere archetypes within our collective psyche; tools to be utilized for emotional growth or personal gain. Now real magick was as harmless as church on Sunday, and as close as your therapists couch. When reading many of the introductory books on the Craft that are available on the market today, it becomes apparent that very few practitioners believe magick to be anything more than an offshoot of Jungian psychological principals. Deities, animal spirits, fae beings. All are seen as being nothing more than fanciful (if helpful) splinters of our own individual consciousness that are attempting to communicate to us directly through the modality of the symbolic. The difference to the ancient model is a profound one: beings of poweronce seen as living and conscious entities in their own right-were now reduced to little more than whimsical imaginings in a role subservient to the ego. Magick, it seemed,

had been stripped of its power. But beneath all of the accepted forms and scholarly works, something different-something older-began to stir. While many traditions of modern witchcraft have degenerated into little more than self-help groups with an occult veneer, there are still those whos practices and beliefs cannot be defined within the confines of the psychological model. Thousands of years of tales describing amazing events (not to mention the first-hand experiences of modern practitioners) have been the fodder necessary for continued belief in magickal power. Modern practitioners of the magickal arts maintain that the ordinary reality that we are generally accustomed to in our everyday lives does not exist in solitude. Just as the ancient shamen and tribal healers believed in other worlds that intersect our own, the modern witch builds and maintains a relationship with such worlds, as well as the inhabitants that reside there. In our practice the Gods have been restored to their places of power, and are honored once more. The gathering of information through unconventional means is a prime example of how magick flies in the face of psychological attempts to define it. Take, for example, the religio-magickal rituals of the ancients. Feats of miraculous healing were not uncommon to the ancient practitioner. Tribal shamen would often consult a spirit or another otherworldly being in order to obtain healing for that which could not normally be healed. By traveling into the realm of the power being, spirit, or ally, the shaman would be able to bring back information that would be relevant to the tribe, and only then would be able to perform the healing rites. Whether this information constituted instruction on the use of certain herbs, particular magickal songs and incantations, or the location of sources of food or water, the shaman would have gathered information that s/he was previously unaware of, thus adding to the body of lore necessary to the survival of the tribe. Had these beings been merely offshoots of the shamans own individual personality then the information obtained would have had to first been within the memory of the practitioner and would therefore be limited. Only by entering into a relationship with a conscious being with its own thoughts and ability to communicate could the shaman learn what was necessary for survival. These beings were understood as being real, and were treated accordingly. It should be stated that a belief in the autonomous existence of Deities and various otherworldly beings does not automatically invalidate their

psychological importance to the human practitioner. Gods are perfectly capable of being at once both archetype and living entity-taking delight in the seeming paradox that only exists within the limitations of human consciousness. In the magickal model of the universe we are all part of one boundless being, and as such are able to tune-in to certain frequencies (i.e. Gods, spirits, allies, etc.) allowing their particular energies to become more aligned with our own, thus facilitating open communication between the two. With this belief system in place we do not see the powers in question as being outside ourselves as we see that nothing is outside ourselves. This is at once both a subtle and profound shift from the standard psychological model, which sees all things as being separate and therefore isolated from each other. The philosophies of what has come to be called Transpersonal Psychology are perhaps the most successful attempt at explaining these fundamental spiritual ideas within the limitations of mainstream acceptance. But even here the ideas expressed fall short of embracing that which has been known to witches and shamen for centuries: that the universe, far from being the lifeless droning machine as described by Descartian physics, is in fact alive, conscious, and aware of our existence. If magick is indeed the art of changing consciousness at will then why limit ourselves? A universe that is comprised of living, aware, conscious energy would seem to be the very best place to perform miracles, if only one knew the right language. Energy can be moved, channeled, coaxed to flow in certain ways by as simply as focusing your awareness on it. Perhaps the consciousness that comprises a wall can be coaxed to become immaterial, allowing one to pass easily through. Such things have often been said of a number of Yogi masters from the Far East for quite some time. Perhaps if one only knew how to energetically relate to the wall it would allow passage unhampered. Is it possible that the guru or holyperson, having prepared themselves with whatever their particular custom demands, enters into a state of hyper-communication with an available energetic consciousness and is therefore able to wield it to his/her will? Defying gravity, moving objects, teleportation-all could perhaps be achieved by altering not only our own consciousness at will, but that of the environment as well. The person we are healing, the God were invoking, the candle we are charging, the stone we are blessing, the villain we are cursing-there is a link between us and them, a conscious link that can me moved, tugged at, related to. Our awareness reaches out to theirs and in the meeting magick is made.

When I am open to the possibility of the fantastic, the mystical, the fabulous, I am in a better position to experience it. When I accept the idea that spirit can communicate to me directly, I see signs. In learning to read and understand those signs, I am living my life in a magickal way. I believe in magick. I am a witch.

Talismanic Magick: Learning the Language of Symbols through Modern Witchcraft

I define talisman as any object that has been magickally charged with power in order to perform a certain function. It is a magickal symbol in physical form that can perhaps be carried or worn in order for its sphere of influence to be readily felt. Talismans have been used from since before the beginnings of recorded history when Paleolithic wo/man drew and painted images on cave walls and carve figures out of stone to represent the hunt, birth, death, and beyond. The understanding and use of magickal symbols is an art form that is essential to the student of any magickal path. The manipulation of symbols constitutes a language that is understood by that part of our soul structure known as the fetch, as is described in the Three Souls model of the Feri tradition of witchcraft. It is this form of pre-verbal direct communication to a deeper layer of our soul(s) that is a critical aspect in learning to wield magickal power. When we are able to communicate with our fetch, then we are a step closer to actualizing our potential as complete human beings. On one level, symbols can be seen as store-houses of power. A pentacle or five pointed star, for example, can remind one of the five element model, illustrating how the powers in question are interconnected and flow into each other in a progression. It can also conjure the image of the human body, with arms and legs outstretched, and so can remind us that these powers are within us as well as without. With this in mind, the pentacle then becomes a symbol for these qualities and so when I use it

in ritual I can draw these powers from them as needed. The relationship that my psyche has with the symbols designates the power that they may hold. Symbols are also gateways. We use symbols to transport our consciousness to another place, another time. When meditating on the great sword in the stone, Excalibur, we are whisked away to a land populated by chivalrous knights, ancient magicks, and fulfillment of destiny. The image of the sword lodged in the stone might then become a symbol for any of these things or more. Perhaps it can represent the goal that has been just out of reach, the one thing that no one believes that you can do. Or perhaps it can be representative of claiming your power; seeing yourself hold aloft the sword can conjure a sense of completion, of wholeness, of victory. Symbols that we encounter, like those found in dreams, are very personal indeed. Because symbols communicate through direct interaction with the most primal parts of our psyche, bypassing our conscious filter of rational and linear thought, they rarely translate exactly from person to person. My experience of dreaming of a wolf, for example, would probably be different from that of a stranger or even a close friend. To me the wolf represents the power of the solitary in relation to the community. They are noble creatures, and walkers between the worlds. To someone else they might represent gentleness, viciousness, nurturing, hierarchy, hunger, intelligence, or any number of qualities that wolves have been said to possess since the dawn of recorded history. The important thing to understand is that no one definition can ever hope to encapsulate the totality of the symbolic experience. When choosing a symbol for a magickal working it is important to keep things simple. The more elaborate the symbol(s) the less likely that you will be able to concentrate on it/them with enough focus to direct the power. Additionally there will be a greater chance of success if the method towards manifestation of the desired result is left somewhat open. For example, were I to be performing a money spell I would probably find it more useful to focus on the symbol of a dollar sign ($) than, lets say, an invocation written in any of the widely available magickal alphabets much used in the modern Craft (perhaps something written to the effect of From my job, more money comes.). In the first example the symbol of the dollar sign is used as a gateway to power: I understand what a dollar sign means and I have a certain relationship to it, as it is a symbol in

common use within our culture. By focusing my energy on it as the goal I can fill my thoughts with nothing else, nothing will be left to distract me. With my concentration being focused in this way I am completely immersed in the power of the symbol, allowing it to interact directly with my fetch, thus communicating my desire in such a way that magickal action can be taken out. I have also left the means to the goal open; my fetch knows that the money can come from just about anywhere and so the magick, like electricity, will take the path of least resistance. With the second example I run the risk of overlooking other avenues towards manifestation: being given gifts of money, finding money, or even having it magickally appear in my bank account. There are times, however, when you will want to be more specific and so will set more parameters for the working of the spell. Perhaps your goal is specifically to get a raise from your current employer, in which case the second example above would prove to be a nice representation, or even perhaps a combination of the two. This is why it is important to be very clear on what it is that you want beforehand. The first and most important step in any magickal working is the definition of magickal intent. The ritual manipulation of the chosen symbol(s) can be a contributing factor in its initial choosing. For example, if in the text of a particular spell a symbol is to be etched on a candle (thus charging it with that particular aspect) then, again using our money spell above, the dollar sign would prove to be a good choice, as it is simple, small, and can be easily drawn. You can see how the 2nd example would prove to be more than problematic. If, however, you wanted to charge a particular object with power, such a jewelry or something that you could later carry with you, then you would want to choose a physical object that speaks to your fetch on some level. In the case of jewelry you might choose something that is made from a material that is in resonance with your goal. Gold has long been associated with prosperity, as has silver, for obvious reasons. Certain crystals, stones, and herbs have been attributed with such powers, throughout numerous cultures. By focusing your intent (your magickal goal) while gazing or (preferably) touching the physical object to be charged, you are programming the object with your desire. It can be this simple, if you are skilled at concentration and channeling energy, or it can be as elaborate as any ritual that you can come up with. Just remember that the more elements that you include you run a greater risk of becoming distracted. It is usually best to keep things simple. Magickally speaking less is more.

Another important thing to know is that every action performed in a ritual setting becomes a part of the ritual. The act of etching the symbol on the candle, the choosing of the object, burning of certain herbs, conscious breathing, chanting, visualization, etc. When writing your spell it is important to ask yourself how each action lends itself to the overall ritual and if it doesnt you may want to consider omitting it. Once you have chosen your goal, your symbol(s), and your ritual, it is then time to set it all in motion. At this point you should already be familiar with basic energy techniques, having practiced grounding and basic meditation until you have achieved a certain level of proficiency. Spellwork can be effective without these basic skills, but usually only sporadically so. You would be wise to familiarize yourself with these basic precepts before continuing onward so as to increase your control of the power, and your chances of success. Ground and center. Allow yourself to open-up to the Divine force all around you. Breathe it in. Holding your symbol (or a candle with your symbol etched on it, etc.) begin to breathe into the object, feeling the force of spirit moving into it along with your intent. Take some time to really feel this, as your feeling is the most important aspect of the spell. Feeling is the magickal conduit for the power to flow through. Make sure yours is clear. At this point you may wish to chant, or sing, burn incense, light a candle, draw a picture, perform a dance or yoga posture, or read an affirmation or poem that pertains to your magickal desire, anything that will increase your feeling connection to the Divine, but only if it clearly lends itself to your goal. Trust your intuition in this matter. During the ritual your aim will be to concentrate on your goal as a reality that has already occurred, while you are channeling energy into your symbol. Feel as if the symbol is merging with you, bringing with it the magickal goal. Open up to it and allow it to interact with you. You may find that certain other feelings and images arise within your psyche, much like a meditation. If these feel appropriate to your goal, then simply allow them to dance and play within you. If they feel more like distractions then gently bring your attention back to your symbol, keeping your thoughts on your goal. For this reason other tools such as chanting are sometimes used in order to force the conscious mind to stay focused, but this is a matter of personal preference.

When you have finished, end your ritual in the normal way, whether this is a formal closing of your ritual circle, or simply saying a prayer of thanks and walking away. You should feel free to allow yourself permission to use whatever symbols you feel drawn to. There is no harm in experimenting with different symbols in spellwork as long as your intent is pure. If you are not seeking to manipulate someones free-will, or attempting to bolster your own ego, then only knowledge will be gained from such experimentation. With your heart as your guide, tempered by your logic, you can find your own way along this magickal path. The only tool you need is you.
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The Black Heart is the Crown

The Black Heart of Innocence is something of a holy grail in F(a)eri(e) tradition. It is a symbol in our Craft that is said to be the natural state of the soul, unfettered by societal conditioning. In Feri we understand this natural state to be sexual because, in our understanding, everything begins (and ends!) with sex. (Insert Iron Pentacle reference here.) Sex is opening to life-force; the animating principle that in living beings tends to be expressed in a sexual way. Desire that inspires action Life opening to life, merging with life, to create something greater than the simple sum of its parts. When we open to life-force we are soon confronted with our own complexes and fears all the things that we have spent so much time and energy trying to bury. When this comes to the surface this often leads to bad feelings and judgements about others since it is far easier to see imbalances in the behavior of others than it is to look into that mirror and truly see ourselves. We say this heart is black because that is the color of the Void the night sky filled with stars that contain all possibility. It is like a scrying mirror shiny, curved, and black which reveals the unseen the previously unknown the mystery. We cant perceive it directly. In much the same way as with dark matter; no one can really see the Black Heart it can only be inferred by the influence it has on those around it.

While some have focused exclusively on (a misunderstanding of) the sexual elements of the BHOI some now see it as being an excuse for behavior that is socially suspect or even taboo. It is important to understand that to be in the state of the Black Heart is not the same as simply reacting from our base nature we acknowledge our deep and sometimes even darker desires and drives but it is alignment that allows us to express these energies in a way that is healthy or, as is done with Kala, to transform them when necessary.

I have often said that the BHOI burns with the blue fire of compassion but what does that really mean? The blue fire is a current of energy that we recognize in Feri as permeating everything; it is the life-force that we draw into our lungs as well as that force which is the energy behind all the matter we see and dont see. It is the blue ray; the Will of God Hirself directed through our own. This energy is first and formost connective as it is omnipresent. All things are said to be comprised of this basic energy and so it is through this power that we begin to experience the world not in terms of separation, but in terms of wholeness. It is this holism that leads us into a space of universal compassion, or experiencing the other as self. Compassion is a tricky concept in our society. We often think of it in the

form of sympathy or in offering comfort to those in need. While it certainly can take those forms, true compassion is something more something deeper something far more difficult and at times even disturbing. Compassion can be disturbing?? This is a long way from the simple words of comfort we might share with a friend or family member who is having a difficult time. True compassion asks us to be authentic and to recognize the oneness of all life. True compassion operates from that aforementioned space of connection. It is empathy and then right action stemming from that state of being. This is were the disturbing part comes in. Right action can often be speaking the truth that no one wants to hear or taking actions to protect yourself or another from harm actions that invariably place us at odds with the intentions and actions of those from whom we feel the need to defend. Lest we begin to think that the BHOI is simply an excuse to tell it like it is or otherwise tear someone down in whatever snarky way in which we are inspired, consider that the BHOI is a state that exists in preconsciousness; a state-of-being as opposed to a state-of-knowing. One of the reasons we work toward alignment is to be able to access this deeper, primal state while still being able to direct that power in a way that reflects our true Will which is ALL of our parts in concert; divine, human, and primal. Or as I sometimes like to say, With open mind, open heart, and open sex. When we are in alignment the BHOI is that same sate that has elsewhere been called, sovereignty. When we stand in the center of our own aligned self we burn with that blue flame and our hearts beat the rhythm to which our souls can join the universal dance. We stand in our power; not to coerce or control but to be aware. Our eyes truly open, we see that action and resistance to action are as one. By simply being in this state the magic spell has begun, and we often find that resistances fall away, as well as the burning need to act by simply observing ourselves the Great Work has begun. This is self work on a quantum level what is observed, changes. We are all our own divine authorities. If I learned just one thing from my many years training in F(a)eri(e) it is that basic truth, along with a set of tools to make this knowledge manifest. Each of us are asked to wear the Crown of our own GodSoul; our holy daemon. In Feri, the BHOI is us

wearing that crown, proudly and soberly, knowing full-well the responsibility that comes with the power it affords us. Getting to the Black Heart is a lifetime of work. Certainly we can step into this state at times and this is exactly the point of much of the work in our tradition but as the saying goes, Its a nice place to visit, but I wouldnt want to live there. This refers to the deeper state of ecstasy that is a part of this work. Achieving ecstatic states can be useful for our deepening our knowledge but not so useful for picking the kids up at school, or getting the shopping done. We need to be able to fully embrace the mundane as well as the spiritual in order to live a balanced and healthy life. If we focus exclusively on the spiritual (i.e read transcendent) then we can often find ourselves walking the path to spiritual addiction; the concerns of our normal lives falling by the wayside, such as friends, family, and responsibilities. We need to find healthy ways to embody that transcendence; to fully realize that even the most mundane of tasks are pathways to God Hirself. Our rites and exercises encourage this state-of being so that we can call upon it when we need to and then, invariably, something in life will knock us off our center. It is then that we must get up off the ground dust ourselves off, and try again. With repetition and practice we learn how to return to our center more easily and smoothly than we had in the past; calling back to ourselves our sense of true self so that we can address the world accordingly. Living in that state full-time, I think, is beside the point. We are all human and no one is asking that we give up our flaws. They are, after all, what makes us human and that is beautiful all on its own. We must learn to look into the eyes of God Hirself and see our own reflection in the mirror of Hir eyes. Behold how beautiful I am! the Blue God teaches us to say. And in this we must also remember that state of connection that each of us are also the reflections of God Hirself and we are beautiful because of our flaws because flawless perfection, besides being unattainable, is also boring. We are asked now to have compassion for ourselves; even for (especially for) those parts of us that are weak are petty and unenlightened. We must have compassion for our own flaws because only then can we have compassion for them in others. Otherwise we often move into a space of condemnation, dominance, and war. To wear the Crown of our Own Black Heart we must first let all of the egodriven judgements fall away and simply exist in a space of connection.

When we acknowledge the omnipresence of divinity then we are better prepared to operate from this compassion for ourselves as well as for others. Wearing the crown is to fully accept our own power and to act accordingly. But it can also be a burden we find ourselves in a precarious place of becoming an example for others a role to which we may or may not be suited. We must remember to mindfully respond with compassion rather than mindlessly react from ego. And thus begins the practice part of our ongoing work. And on it goes.. and on it goes.
! !

The Gods of Infinity: The Lemniscate and its Presence in F(a)eri(e) Magick

In the Bloodrose-derived lines of the F(a)eri(e)1 tradition, in which I was initially trained, there is in use a major theological icon that attempts to capture the endless essence of our cosmology. When considering the eternal nature of Divinity, the lemniscate (commonly referred to as the infinity symbol) represents the constant and morphing flow of energy as it

emanates from the central point; what we know as the Star Goddess; that primal point of all creation. Flowing first to the bottom left and moving upward, we can see this power take on the traditional feminine forms of maiden, mother, and crone before flowing back and down through the center. Continuing to the right, this power embodies the masculine youth, father, and sage, only to continue this journey ad infinitum. These stations on our symbol (as seen in the image above) are represented at first by lunar glyphs to represent the Goddess: a waxing crescent, a full moon disk, and a waning crescent. Solar imagery is then employed to represent the God by way of rising sun, sun-at-zenith, and setting sun. Thus both a monthly and daily cycle are represented by way of the lemniscate. This cosmology can also be symbolically visualized in terms of the vesica pisces, which consists of two circles intersecting so that they overlap each other. The central almond shape that results from this overlap has sometimes been described as the yoni or womb of the Great Goddess, and so is equal (at least in terms of theological definition) to our lemniscates central point.

Holy Mother,!In You we live, move, and have our being.!From You all things emerge!And unto You all things return. 2 When considering one of the many creation myths that are present in the Feri tradition we can see certain parallels with our lemniscate model. According to Starhawk, after the Goddess makes love with Her own reflection, the image before Her moves outward, becoming more masculine along the way, becoming the Blue God, the Green One, and finally the Horned God. 3 Here we see the mutable nature of Divinity and when taken in conjunction with the poetic teaching of the prayer above, we can begin to see this model in action. The Star Goddess (also referred to as God Herself) is the ultimate Deity, She-who-emerges-fromnothingness, as well as She-who-cannot-be-(at least fully)-understood. She (who is also He) is that single unifying point within the great Void in which time and space are meaningless. This is the great womb of the Goddess, pregnant with all possibility. Like the mathematical singularity, the laws of physics do not apply here and so there are no limitations, making this the most magickal (and potential) place in the universe. We see this point as being the central point of the infinity symbol; it is that moment before creation occurs in which all choices are equally valid. Only when this power moves outward from the Goddess of All Potential do we see limitations being created and adhered to. It is these limitations that allow form to arise and cause the natural laws of the Universe to function.!Seasonal Manifestations One way to see these forms is to witness them in the cycles of nature. Our lemniscate illustrates the seasonal changes along its serpentine pathway, demonstrating an entire lifecycle on each of its two lobes. When the Goddess sees Her reflection it is first as Nime, the young maiden, who then grows and becomes Mari, the mother, and finally as Anna, or Anysa, the aged crone, before returning back to the center. In these three major points of definition we can easily see the seasonal cycles played out. Maiden Nime can represent the spring, especially the new growth of both plants and animals. Her emblem is that of a 6-day old crescent moon, connecting this sphere of our model with predominately lunar symbolism. She is the wild spirit of youth and potency; the arouser of life; the embodiment of the Black Heart of Innocence. A crescent moon rests on her brow as primal snakes writhe in her hair. Childlike exuberance exudes

from her toothy grin, but watch out! For all of her playfulness there is also something disturbing about her a danger and even a sexuality that is not comfortable when witnessed in a creature so young. The influence of Nime can be easily felt at this time of year and through the summer solstice, at which time She plays an important role in the working mythos of the Feri sabbat. Mother Also at this time the presence of the goddess Mari is strongly felt. She is the spirit of the earth, sky, and sea, and is that aspect of the Goddess that even casual practitioners of the modern Craft are most familiar with. She wears a crown of a dozen stars, Her black hair veiling her shining silver body as she stands upon the ocean. Because She is archetypically the height of strength and power, She is associated (however marginally) with the height of summer, but also with the slow decline of autumn, not because Her powers are fading, but because She represents the ultimate harvest, for She carries within her fully-pregnant womb the Divine Child, who shall be born when this cycle is repeated next spring. The full moon is her emblem, continuing the lunar symbolism. Crone The final station that we encounter upon this lobe of our glyph is that of Anna, the hag, who is the dread power of winter and of death. It is She who has accumulated the wisdom of the forbidden knowledge of Witchcraft (and indeed one of her titles, Black Anna of the Forbidden Mysteries leaves little room for debate on this matter) as well as direct knowledge of death and of healing. She wears a crown of nine stars 4 and is sometimes accompanied by a raven or vulture, which is also Her emblem. The lunar symbolism continues with her traditional garb in that she holds a silver sickle, the crescent-shaped scythe that resembles the form of a waning moon. Youth With the cycles representing the Divine Feminine now complete, we can follow the progression of the Star Goddess power once more as She manifests this time in masculine form. Again we can see the power manifest in the cycles of spring, this time as the young Blue God, also

called the Dian y Glas. 5 Traditionally the Blue God is said to appear as an androgynous youth with an erect phallus and the breasts of a young girl, though he does not appear to me in that guise. To me his androgyny is expressed solely in his softness, and indeed at times he appears to me naked and swathed in lavender silks, smiling and dancing seductively amongst the stars. In some teachings He is said to represent our own personal Divinity; our Higher Selves to which we pray in order to hasten our own evolution. We are reminded by His iconography that the power that manifests as spirituality is sexual in nature: a serpent coils around His neck, and in fact one of His titles is the serpent in the well, who is seen rising in the springtime, an obvious phallic reference and may also represent what some practitioners of Tantric mysticism know as kundalini energy. Peacock feathers adorn His hair connecting Him to Melek Taus, the Peacock Angel of the Yezidis who, despite outsiders misrepresenting Him as the devil, regard Him as the true God of this world. Father/Lover As we continue to move on our model and into the furthest point outward, we encounter the Horned God, Krom, sometimes called the Harvest Lord. He is the perfect twin of the Goddess Mari, and in Him the solar associations are quite evident. His emblem is the golden sun and he is the power of its peak in summer. He sometimes appears as a strong stagheaded man with shining golden skin, His neck adorned with spring and summer flowers. He is naked and appears with an erect phallus and so His powers of sexuality and virility are quite evident in themselves. He is at once both lover and father depending on what it is that we need from Him at the time, regardless of what we may feel that it is that we need. He is the most blatantly masculine of the Infinitum 6, and like his female counterpart is most likely to be recognized as the archetypal God of Witchcraft. Sage/Teacher/Guardian Moving still through our cycles of the seasons we can see a subtle shift as we approach autumn. Our beloved Horned God, once the epitome of strength and virility, begins his slow decline as the sun makes its journey into the dark half of the year. Reaching winter, our God is now the dread God of death, the Arddu 7, or Royal Darkness. Another Horned God figure, He is usually depicted with the black wings of a bat, red eyes, a single red jewel upon his forehead, and a flaming torch between his horns.

Traditionally he has the head of a goat, and the breasts of an old woman, but He has never appeared to me in that guise. I almost consistently see Him with the head of a bull; a symbol that I feel better reflects His mighty power and primal nature. His sexuality is at once more internalized than his previous counterparts, while at the same time still most definitely present. He is the Guardian of the Crossroads, and because He brings the knowledge and wisdom of death, is the great teacher. His emblem is the skull and crossbones for reasons that should need little elaboration. All who would pass through the dread gate must first confront Him. He can represent our own fears, and the ecstasy that we can experience when we face them and in ecstasy we return once more to our central point, having traversed completely the cycles of the lemniscate, returning to the Goddess; to God Herself. And to You all things return All Gods are Feri Gods While it is true that most often these particular deities8 seem to align themselves to this glyph in Feri almost exclusively, it is precisely the symbols inclusive nature that makes it so appealing. In Bloodrosian9 Feri it is taught that it is not simply these particular seven deities that find their home on our beloved symbol, but in fact all deities.10 According to Willow Moon, a Feri initiate and teacher in the NightHares line, the trinities on each side of our lemniscate represent points of convenience in which we are more easily able to see the fullest characteristics of the aspects of Deity.11 With this in mind it becomes quite a useful tool when considering the nature of God(dess)hood. Deities such as Hecate or Brighid can be placed upon the paths of the symbol in order to reflect upon certain of their qualities. As we have seen, however, the nature of Divinity is mutable and so we do not place these beings upon this model in order to pin them down, so to speak, but instead to attempt to grasp their essence just a little bit more than we have previously. Tools of Circumstance When used as a tool for the talker it may prove useful to be able to examine the attributes of the Gods from an intellectual perspective, comparing and contrasting them and seeing how they might fit in with each other in an overall cosmology. For instance, we can see from our

model how Nime, and how Persephone, for example, might compare to each other, noticing how they both have strong associations with innocence, and with the spring. We must keep in mind, however, that just as we place a God on one station, so this Deity may also appear on another. Both are equally true; another example of how Feri seems to revel in the paradoxical. For example, many Feries with whom I have spoken with share an intuitive understanding of a particular Deity that we can cite in our exploration of this intellectual model. When considering the Blue God in His forms of Dian y Glas and of Melek Taus we can see how they share many qualities and attributes. But often the young Dian y Glas is differentiated from Melek Taus in such a way that we may feel confident placing the latter in a space in between the spring and summer stations on our model. Melek Taus appears to me in an older, somewhat darker, more severe form. His sexuality is still present, but does not express itself in nearly as soft a manner as does his more youthful counterpart. So where we were once able to see just one God, we can now distinguish specific aspects within the larger Deity-spectrum, like individual bands of colored light differentiated by a prism. Now we are able to perceive the larger Divinity complex12 , knowing that while separate beings in their own right, they are also a part of a larger holism. When used as a tool for the fetch, we can meditate upon the motions and changing nature of Deity, letting go of our rational assumptions that would seek to define things in either/or classifications. What may be a helpful way to approach a thing at one time may prove to be a hindrance under different circumstances. Conflict and Clarity Much confusion has been wrought over the use of this symbolic teaching in Feri, the majority of which centers upon the use of other cosmologies which, on the surface, appear to be contradictory. While the lemniscate model appears to describe Deity in terms of two trinities of each sex emerging from the Star Goddess, the cosmology espoused by the late Victor Anderson reflects that of a triple Goddess and a duel God. If we are forced to think only in literal terms, then we are immediately confronted with what appears to be a serious divergence from traditional

material. If the teachings of Victor are assumed to represent a core mythology of the Feri tradition13 , then this newer model is seemingly incorrect. It has been argued that the lemniscate is not truly a part of the Feri tradition precisely because of this divergence, pointing out that the mythology of the God in triple form is the result of forcing an overlaying model over traditional mythos. But a deeper look at both cosmologies reveals their underlying equivalence. Of great importance to both models is the idea of the Goddess and Her two consorts, known in Feri as the Divine Twins. It is said that the Goddess took two bright spirits into Her womb and perfected them into God.14 They are both Her divine son and lover. According to Cora Anderson, though they both are male in function they are like all Gods, both male and female in one. She goes on to illustrate how they can pair themselves in either opposite or same-sex relationships, both sexually active and not.15 This is of tremendous importance because it gives us a much needed insight into the nature of the Twins. It is not difficult to now perceive our lemniscate model with new eyes and see each lobe as a possible manifestation of one of the Twins, each one circling the Star Goddess out of love. With this in mind we can begin to understand the mutable nature of Feri even deeper; for even this seemingly all-inclusive model now reveals its own limitations, useful though it may be. An alternate but similar model might describe the Twins as both being either male or female. It is really a minor detail when taken in consideration the sheer vastness of the Infinitum. Another important insight in the nature of the Twins comes from the teachings of Victor and Cora Anderson which state, Either one or both of the Divine Twins can fulfill the function separately or together like two candle flames blended into one.16 This opens up whole new possibilities, enabling the practitioner a deeper perspective on not just the Twins, but of what we have previously thought of as the individual Gods. Not only are the Twins seen to manifest separately on each lobe of our model, but the individual Gods themselves are understood to have Twin aspects as well. For example, the Blue God can be seen as both Dian y Glas, but also as Melek Taus, among other combinations. Krom has other aspects that include what has come to be called the Red Man and the Green Man, who are the forces of animal life and vegetable life, respectively. These manifestations of the Divine Twins are sometimes

seen as being lovers, but not exclusively so. Mari too has similarly colored aspects denoting specific attributes and powers. These symbolic understandings do not exist in conflict with our other models, but in harmony with them. Krom might be Twins in Himself, but individually He is also the Twin to Mari, who exists opposite him on our cosmological glyph. One perspective need not be wrong for another to also be correct. As long as Feri is being practiced then there will continue to be innovations, creations, and evolutions. Exercises, myths, and even Deities are all being constantly revealed to us in new and different ways. When we connect to the Power, and to the Star Goddess, we are inviting Her to move through us, changing us forever. It is only to be expected that She will manifest in new ways as She is mediated into the world by Her priest/esses. New models will arise to reveal their usefulness, allowing us an opportunity to try and experience Deity in new ways. When we are able to look beyond the present forms to perceive the truths that lay beyond them, then we are well on our way toward wisdom. 2005! NOTES: 1. I sometimes use this spelling in order to both illustrate the mutable nature of our tradition, as well as to attempt to include those lines that were formed before Victor Anderson began using the spelling Feri, sometime in the 1990"s. Being, for the most part, an oral tradition, there is no correct spelling, a further testament to the individual nature of our religion. 2. Traditional Feri prayer based upon the Cretica by the poet and seer Epimenides of Knossos (6th century BCE) in which he addresses the God Zeus: They fashioned a tomb for thee, O holy and high one-!The Cretans, always liars, evil beasts, idle bellies!!But thou art not dead: thou livest and abidest forever,!For in thee we live and move and have our being. (See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epimenides) Later this would be quoted by Paul and make its way into a passage in the Bible, For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain

also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring., Acts 17:28, King James Version. 3. Starhawk, The Spiral Dance: A Rebirth of the Ancient Religion of the Great Goddess (HarperSanFrancisco, 1979, 1989, 1999), p.41. 4. Some accounts say Nine plus stars, indicating that she has at least nine upon Her crown. 5. Pronounced DJOHN-uh-gloss. This name is usually misinterpreted as being Welsh in origin but is more likely an intuitive reconstruction of ancient Pictish. See http://www.pictdom.org/WhatIs.html for a brief mention of this. 6. This is the term that my group uses to represent the Deities of the lemniscate as a whole. 7. Pronounced, Ar-THEE. A Welsh term for Dark One. 8. These may appear with different names or spellings, but the same basic characteristics are almost always present. 9. I use this term to refer to those practices of the F(a)eri(e) tradition that stem from the original teachings of what became the Bloodrose school (now disbanded), which took its own inspiration and initiatory lineage from Victor Anderson, and was later developed by other initiates, most notably Caradoc ap Cador, and Steve Hewell. While other schools and covens continued to develop the material under new banners, I continue to use this term because each of its successors have continued to use the basic symbols and practices of the Mother-school and thus now constitute a definite recognizable branch of the tradition in their own right. 10. I recall a story that I have heard several times in Feri circles. One day Victor was asked, What Gods do the Feri worship? to which he reportedly replied, All of them. 11. See Valerie Walkers Feri FAQ version 7.0 (8/25/03), pg. 11 at http://www.wiggage.com/witch/FFAQsannotated.v.7.0.pdf 12. My Feri teacher Mitchell Houston first used this term to reference that

collection of resonate Deities whose various aspects collectively comprise what we call the Blue God. The same theory is true of any of our archetypal stations in the discussed model. 13. It has been pointed out however, that Victor taught different things to different people at different times, preferring to work intuitively with an individual and thus keeping the tradition authentic. Remember what they say about assuming 14. Anaar, The Winged Serpent: Seeing the Divine Twins, Witch Eye #10, March 2005. 15. Anderson, Cora, Fifty Years in the Feri Tradition (privately printed, 1994), p. 8. 16. Ibid, 8.

The Pearl Pentacle: Transpersonal Reality, Macrocosm, and Community

God is Self!And Self is God!And God is a person like myself. Victor Anderson Every man and woman is a star. Alistair Crowley From apex point of sex doth flow!The gifts of love that we would know!That lures us ever toward our pride!Which shines as law and does provide!Awareness of our selfs domain;!And knowledge of all things arcane.!A move toward power stirs within!Power shared with other kin.!As waves of passion fill our souls!We grow with wisdom; lifes true goal.!By the Iron and by the Pearl!I claim my being;!I claim my world. 1 Like its Iron counterpart, the Pearl Pentacle is a major teaching tool utilized by most lines of the F(a)eri(e) tradition. Whereas the Iron can be said to represent qualities pertaining to the self 2, the Pearl is often thought of as extending these concepts outward and into the transpersonal realm of community, complimenting the Iron with a type of comparative polarity. When taken together, the Iron and the Pearl embody

the divine union that is necessary to fully awaken the awareness of our divine natures. Where the Iron can sometimes be felt as being sharp, frantic, and hot (much as the red hot iron in the blacksmiths forge) the Pearl is often described as being soft, calm, and cool; a much needed balance to the Irons sometimes overwhelming severity. This is, of course, only a generalization; it should be understood that there are as many ways to experience the pentacles as there are people who work with them. In the style in which I was originally taught Feri, a great deal of time was spent working first with the Iron before the Pearl was even mentioned. On one level this makes perfect sense if the Iron is about refining ones personal relationship with the Self, then it seems a sound practice to allow that work to serve as a foundation before jumping outward into the work of building community, a particular lesson that the Pearl has to offer. While this does make sense, it is certainly not the only valid way to approach these tools. In fact it is reported that on several occasions the late Victor Anderson 3 himself would teach these two pentacles together, sometimes combined into one symbol known as the Copper Decagram 4. Here we see yet another example of how fluid our traditional methods really are; a perfect reminder that ours is a living tradition based on shamanic principals, and not a one-size-fits-all system of spiritual instruction. Feri loves paradoxes, and when considering the Iron and the Pearl pentacles we can contemplate one of the biggest of them all: There is only one pentacle. The Iron and the Pearl are not separate, but are instead the same pentacle as seen from different angles. When we are focused on working internally with the self, we see the Iron in all its fiery glory; its five points representing those qualities that all so often need to be healed in order to claim our personal power. Modern society perpetuates some very unhealthy attitudes toward certain natural qualities and behaviors, and because we are products of that society we often need to un-learn or re-align ourselves in a balanced and conscious way. Take for example the Iron Pentacles point of Pride. It exists in opposition to a larger societal standard that would teach us either to completely subjugate the ego (Dont be too proud, Pride is a sin) or to exalt it above all else (Youre the most important person in the world, Every man for himself). The Iron Pentacle is a method to allow ourselves to achieve a true and personal balance between these two unhealthy extremes; helping us find our own way our own truth.

Love When our focus is about taking our own energy and sharing it outward with others, then the usefulness of the Pearl Pentacle comes into play. For example, consider how the Iron point of Sex becomes the Pearl point of Love. Sex, much more than simply the physical act, is the generation of a current of life-force energy. It is the experience of opening up to accept outside forces within ourselves so that we might merge with them in ecstasy, becoming more than we were before. It is both physical sex as well as non it is the enlivening of the senses so that we may experience on a deeper level that which is all around us. In this view, even breathing consciously can be an act of sex. Love is the force of attraction that keeps that current flowing; the state of deep emotional attraction that leads us ever onward to return again and again to that state of sexual union. Knowledge The Self of Iron becomes the Knowledge of Pearl. If Self is the fullest awareness of ones own limits and potentials, then Knowledge is that on a universal scale. When sharing our own fully-realized selves with one another, we are able to learn exponentially. We act as mirrors for those around us so that they may then see themselves in a new light, gaining new perspectives along the way. And in turn we too gain new vantage points from which we may view ourselves (an Iron experience) and the world around us (a Pearl perspective). Wisdom The point of Iron named Passion becomes that of Wisdom when viewed on the Pearl. Passion is the complete opening to lifes experience, so that we may engage the fullest spectrum of human emotions. Passion can be felt in any number of human emotions from love to hate to joy to fear and everything in between. The lovers whose awareness of the outside world falls away so that they see only the object of their desires The artist whose obsession leads them to create their masterpiece or onward to madness The parent, whos all encompassing love for their child leads them to experiences that they had never previously considered Passion is a moving force toward new experiences and the cumulative integration of these experiences our own and those shared with others is the embodiment of Wisdom.

Law Irons Pride becomes the Pearl point of Law; Pride being the unrestrained and natural shining forth of the innocent self Law is quite simply the same phenomena only on a larger scale. It is literally the way in which the universe works; the natural order of all things. The journey of the earth through its orbit the effects of gravity the turning of the seasons these are manifestations of Law that we are all familiar with. Simple, natural, and to the point. When we embody Law it is the adoption of a personal ethical code, not based on the expectations of those around us (for we have purified ourselves of the egos impulse to compare ourselves to others by working with the point of Pride) but based on our own true and balanced will. Power/Liberty Much controversy has been wrought over this next station on our beloved pearlescent pentacle and to this I must make some observations. In one way of viewing these pentacles 5 it is said that the Iron point of Power (representing ones power-from-within; our own ability to extend ourselves outward to cause change) morphs into the Pearl-version, also named Power, only now representing the concept of power-with; that is to say, power shared with others in concert without restriction or oppressive hierarchy. While this certainly follows the previous pattern of taking the individual concepts expressed in the Iron and moving them outward into the world via the Pearl, there are other nuances of interpretation for this point which also have traditional validity. In some lines of Feri this point on the Pearl Pentacle is named Liberty 6, and represents freedom from restraint, especially (though not exclusively) that put upon us by outside forces wielding power-over, or coercive control. It is actually not difficult to see how these two interpretations actually reflect the same core understanding. They are both concerned with a release from restriction and the fostering of a healthy and uninhibited personal authority; a state that is necessary when striving toward the realization of ones personal divinity. So why the controversy? Surely in a path such as Feri where much has been said of the fiercely individual methods of working within our tradition, there is room for different interpretations of even core materials? Part of

the issue, in my opinion, comes from the (perfectly reasonable) desire to preserve what is traditionally handed-down, as opposed to the (perfectly valid) innovations that have been introduced later on. While this might be seen as a practical stance from a somewhat anthropological point of view, when taken in the context of actually working within the tradition it begins to break-down as there are several traditional methods for working with this material, even going back as far as Victor himself, as mentioned previously. Many of the practitioners who worked early on with him have reported that he tailored his teachings to them individually, which would account for some people being taught the Iron Pentacle before even mentioning the Pearl, while others were introduced to them for the first time together as one, sometimes as the aforementioned decagram. This revelation should put to rest once and for all that one method is more traditional than another, as both have a definite precedent. There are many valid methods of working with these symbols, and many more yet to be discovered. That there has been controversy over the issue should be a clear indicator that more work with the Pearl Pentacle is in order. While working with the Iron we become strong personalities, but strength of ones personality does not necessarily mean that we are able to function well with others. In fact, the type of strength usually achieved by working exclusively with the Iron Pentacle, while important, is only the beginning. On the path toward claiming our divinity, there are many challenges that we are called to face. We must be prepared to share the world with others if we are to be worthy of the powers that we would claim. None of us exists in a vacuum. It is relatively easy for the spiritual master to become enlightened up on a mountain in solitude. The real challenge is to do it and still be a part of the world. The Pearl has much to teach us in that regard. The ideals of working with others should not imply that it is necessary to suffer unhealthy interactions with people should they arise. Part of building any healthy community is learning when to establish definite boundaries; when to say no. Certainly the lessons of the Iron Pentacle teach us to be powerful and to never surrender that power to anyone or to anything. When combined with the insights of the Pearl, an alchemical transformation is allowed to take place; one that strives to allow our Black Hearts to shine in harmony with others. What follows is a basic exercise to connect with the Pearl Pentacle. Feel free to adapt it for your own use.

Invoking the Pearl Pentacle Ground and center. Perform a Three Souls alignment. Invoke the Iron Pentacle before you. Feel the red fiery energy moving between each of the points, merging and blurring with each pass between them. Take your time with this. You may wish to perform whatever Iron cleansing/balancing exercises you are accustomed to. When you are ready, focus on the point of Sex and feel that the red energy is becoming a soft white pearlescence feel how Sex has become Love. Feel how the point is now different than it was, but how it is also the same. Take your time. Now allow this soft white glow to travel along the lines toward the Iron point of Pride where it becomes Law. Follow the same pattern until the whole pentacle has been transmuted into the Pearl. Feel how it is the same pentacle as the Iron, only seen from a different perspective. Feel how the energy overall seems different, and yet is the same. Be open to the subtlety of the experience. Now, focusing on the uppermost point, call out three times: I invoke Love! Imagine the point growing larger than all the others shining its healing light deep within you. Feel your own ability to feel deep compassion attraction love. Remember a time in your life when you were in love with someone or something and recall how that felt. Know that it is your birthright as a human being to feel love. Say: In the name of Love! Feel yourself permeated with Love, raised to the power of Divinity. Focus on the point at your right foot and call out three times: I invoke Law!

Imagine the point growing larger than all the others shining its healing light deep within you. Feel how the natural laws of the universe affect you and how they are no different than those laws that govern your own life. Become aware of how other peoples laws have tried to sway you and what the consequences have been for either following or abandoning them. Say: In the name of Law! Feel yourself permeated with Law, raised to the power of Divinity. Focus on the point at your left hand and call out three times: I invoke Knowledge! Imagine the point growing larger than all the others shining deep within you. Feel how true knowledge begins with the self and how we are all mirrors for each other; revealing the blind spots that when left on our own we might not notice. Feel how true Knowledge is something that continually grows through sharing, but also must be nurtured and respected. Say: In the name of Knowledge! Feel yourself filled with Knowledge, raised to Divinity. Focus now on the point at your right hand and call out three times: I invoke Power/Liberty! (try mixing it up for different sessions, but at least in the beginning try to stick to one or the other for awhile to get a feel for it.) Imagine the point growing larger than the others shining deep within you. Feel how Power shared freely frees you from the bonds of expectation of always having to be right or in control. When you feel powerless, you can accept help from another and when you are powerful, you can assist those who need it. Feel how liberating this experience is. Say: In the name of Power/Liberty!

Feel yourself filled with Power/Liberty raised to Divinity. Focus now on the point at your left foot and cal out three times: I invoke Wisdom! Imagine the point growing larger than all the others shining within you. Feel how the depths of your emotions have led you into life experiences that have made you who you are. Feel how because of those experiences you are a unique individual with a unique point of view. Feel how the integration of these experiences makes you strong and powerful. Say: In the name of Wisdom! Feel yourself filled with Wisdom raised to Divinity. Now, allow your awareness to flow from point, to point, in the order invoked as you focus on the energies of each while calling out their names: In the name of Love in the name of Law etc. Remember to keep your breathing slow and deep while you allow the energy to get faster and faster. Eventually shorten your chant to just the names of the points, Love, Law, Knowledge, Power, Wisdom! and then even abandon those and just breathe as the power moves fluidly between each of the points. Notice the quality of the energy if there are any blockages between any of the points. Notice if any of the points seem dim or overly bright take note of them and notice how they feel. After awhile you might experiment with consciously directing any excess energy into the areas that seem to need it, balancing your pentacle. When you have done this for at least several minutes, take three deep breaths while focusing on the entire pentacle as a whole. Then with another three, absorb the pentacle into your body, allowing it to inform and heal each cell. Feel it move into each of your Three Souls. End by saying: By the Iron and by the Pearl,!I claim my being;!I claim my world! ***

In addition to the varied working methods already discussed, another interesting permutation of these pentacles has emerged, although at the time of this writing its origin is still unclear to me. 7 When arranging the points of the two pentacles into a single geometry, and combining the two points of Power into one, a nine-pointed star can be used to represent the Iron and Pearl as a combined force. Further meditations on this particular symbol have yielded some interesting bits of lore, including a peculiar visualization [see image below] of the nine-rayed star with the gap between the two bottommost points slightly widened (as in a decagram with the bottommost point missing) and the addition of a small green dot in a blue circle (called the stone of fire) which represents Liberty & Freedom. This particular symbol is said to be a gateway (called the way of night) and reportedly can be used in meditation as a portal into the dark, or night-realm, of Faery. Yet before the pentacles can be safely used to traverse into other realms, it is wise to use them to discover more about our inner landscapes and both the powers and the poisons that reside there. The pentacles of Feri

tend to first be used as a sort of psychic diagnostic tool that enables us to see more of where we are directing our energies so that we may make informed decisions about the use of our personal power. Between strengthening our individual selves with the processes of the Iron Pentacle, and the community building gifts of the Pearl, we have a tremendous opportunity to claim our human birthright of recognizing our own Godhood. 2006! NOTES: 1. A reworking of a poem published in my book The Stars Within the Earth, 2003 Storm Faerywolf. Available from www.FeriTrad.org. 2. For more information on the Iron Pentacle, see my article The Iron Pentacle: Understanding the Harmonics of Consciousness, www.faerywolf.com/essay_ironpentacle.htm 2000 Storm Faerywolf. 3. Victor Anderson (1917-2001) was the original Grandmaster of Feri, and is generally regarded as the founding member of the tradition, although he would not have agreed with that description, seeing himself as simply the then current mouthpiece for the survival of an ancient form of working magick. All initiates of the Feri tradition can trace their lineage through him. 4. Not much is generally known about the Copper Decagram outside of the Feri lineage known as Vicia; the lineage that worked directly with Victor prior to his passing. I have mentioned it here based on personal conversations that I have had with Vicia members. 5. This was true of how I was initially taught, but not all lines of the tradition work in this fashion. As stated before, there are many ways of working Feri authentically. 6. It is my understanding that when working with the Copper Decagram the Pearl point of Liberty is used to distinguish it from the Iron point of Power, as they are used together as part of the same symbol. 7. This particular bit of lore was presented to me as a part of my Feri

training and so I have assumed that it finds its origins somewhere in the Bloodrose lineage of our tradition. I would be most interested to hear about the experiences of other practitioners who decide to use this. 2006

Colors of Power: Exploring the Wands of the F(a)eri(e) Tradition

A few years into my training in the Feri tradition, while participating in a private Feri internet forum, I heard of a curious piece of lore ominously called the Wand system. It comprised of three differently colored wands to represent different powers available to initiates. When I asked for clarification I was told that it was an archaic piece of lore that had long ago fallen into disuse. Upon further investigation I learned that in addition to those lines that had abandoned its use, some had never been passed this piece of lore to begin with.1 It appeared that those who never received it regarded the wand system as a later invention, and thus regarded it as suspect at best, or as a damaging deviation at worst.2 Like most things in Feri it seemed to elicit the most severe of emotional responses in those who disagreed with it. I later learned that contrary to what I had previously been told not everyone had abandoned its use, and that the Wand System was alive and well and being practiced by at least a portion of the descendants of the Bloodrose line of Feri3, as well as amongst those individuals and groups that worked directly with Victor Anderson in the latter years of his life.4 In those circles which I worked with during my training (which were also descended from Bloodrose) the wand system was not passed. To this part of the community the wands were generally considered to be a system of hierarchy that had no place in our egalitarian tradition and many were satisfied in their belief that it was not something that was then being practiced. This all began to change in 2003 when Cora Anderson, eldest living member of the Feri tradition and wife of Feri founder the late Victor Anderson, passed a Black Wand to Anaar5, a long-time student and initiate, also dubbing her the Grandmaster6, a title which Cora had

previously held since the death of her husband in 2001.7 Suddenly the reality of a current use of the wands was brought into public light and a discourse began that in part sought to examine their often convoluted use and history. There are two distinct takes on the wand system (as well as a slight variance of one, which has caused much controversy), both legitimately claiming Victor Anderson as their origin. In one take the system is seen to be a form of individual recognition8, with the White Wand conferred upon initiation, the Green being the wand of the Elder and Master (i.e. those who have had several years of experience and who have given a great deal of their time to teaching and have thus shown a mastery of Feri lore and practice), and the Black being the wand of a Grandmaster9; someone who has shown exceptional mastery of sorcery and is thus empowered to start their own distinct lineage and even to change aspects of the tradition if necessary.10 This system was largely proliferated in a slightly altered form by the founder of Bloodrose, and it is largely because of the hierarchical nature of this variance that many Feri have rejected the wand system altogether.11 In this variant form of the above interpretation the right to initiate others into the tradition (outside of the immediate coven) was withheld until the achievement of the Green Wand, a move that is seemingly at odds with what many now consider to be core beliefs of the tradition, namely that once someone is initiated they are fully empowered to function in any ritual role within the tradition and are autonomous, answerable only to themselves and to the Gods.12 Because the Bloodrose line13 has historically been the most prolific in Feri, this version of the Wand system was seen by many as being an accurate representation of the system as a whole, causing some to denounce the system as being hierarchical and ultimately harmful; inserting a degree system into a tradition that prides itself on having only one initiation. I believe that this version of the system is really only effective in a coven setting, outside of which I find it becomes unnecessarily restrictive and ultimately detrimental. The other take on this system is what Victor taught to his students and initiates in the latter years of his life. In this interpretation the wands do not represent gradations of power or hierarchy, but are instead seen as markers of specialization, or job descriptions.14 In this understanding of the system, the Green Wand is said to be conferred upon every one at their initiation, and represents new growth. It carries the added association of healing magic, especially that involving herbal lore and

medicine. In this understanding, to claim the Green Wand is to proclaim oneself a healer, in whatever form the individual witch is drawn. The White Wand is said to be for flowering witches, in that it represents someone who has come into their own power via the channel of creativity. A White Wand witch directs their energies into the creative arts, and makes themselves available to their community as a ritualist, a bard, or an artist. To claim the White Wand is to proclaim oneself an artist, whether that be in the visual arts, or in any of the many artistic forms available, such as dance, music, or poetry. In this interpretation of the system the Black Wand represents the Master and Sorcerer, in that it signifies someone who has dedicated themselves to developing the tradition, making themselves available to their community for the purposes of deeper, sometimes darker, magics. A Black Wand witch is both a collector of traditional lore, and the innovator of new techniques. They possess all three aforementioned wands, and are skilled in (among other things) magical warfare. The most common misunderstanding is that these wands are meant to convey additional powers, abilities, or privileges. In a culture that is most accustomed to social hierarchies it is certainly tempting to see these wands as linear markers of accumulated power. In reality the wands are markers of specific responsibilities that one holds to the community at large. In this they are job descriptions, communicating ones magical specialty or area of interest both to the community, as well as to ones own fetch. For example, all initiates are trained in some level of healing magic. Part of our training in working with energies is about learning how to refine and reclaim our personal power, which leads to a better state of balance, health, and harmony. We quickly learn that these internal techniques can be used externally to assist others with the same issues. In this we are all healers, but for those who would possess the Green Wand healing becomes a primary focus. To claim the Green Wand tells other members of the community that you are available to them in the capacity of a healer. Those who do not possess the Green Wand may also be proficient in healing techniques, and might even pride themselves as healers, but the holders of the wand have taken a vow to make themselves available as a resource.

Likewise the holders of the White Wand might not possess any more artistic talent than any other individual, but they have received the spiritual charge to make their artistic talents available to their community. These individuals usually create rituals, write poetry, and make music and art as devotional pieces to be shared in some fashion within the tradition. While there are many talented artists in Feri who may perform in this way, a holder of the White Wand has taken this on as a responsibility; they have pledged themselves to provide their talents not just for themselves and their immediate circle, but for the community at large. This same line of thinking holds true for the Black Wand as well. Whereas all initiates are Priests and Priestesses, a Black Wand initiate is a Priest/ess for the Priesthood; meaning that they have taken on an added responsibility toward the tradition and the community, making themselves available to assist other initiates and practitioners in their workings. Many initiates who do not hold the Black Wand currently act in this way, but to hold the wand is to accept the charge to do so, and to make oneself publicly available to the tradition as a whole. One question that often arises in discussion concerning the wands is quite simply why are they necessary; what purpose do they serve? To this I respond that they arent necessary; but they are certainly useful to those who are called to use them.15 The wands, ideally, are triple in function. They are first and foremost the symbols of power. Defining them as such has led to the unfortunate conclusion by some that this means power-over or coercive control. This is a terrible misunderstanding, both of the wands and of the nature of power itself. Power is simply our ability to do, and we should remind ourselves that it is such an important aspect of the Feri tradition that in our pentacle lore it appears twice.16 As symbols of power the wands give our fetch something to rally around, giving each of us a magickal goal worth aspiring to. This becomes especially important after initiation when the lack of such specific goals can contribute to spiritual lethargy; a sense of being lost with no particular direction to follow. The second purpose that the wands serve is that they are also honorifics. They allow us to formalize our praise and support of each other in specific ways so that we can come together with a positive approach in order to build community. When we can come together to honor our peers for the work that they have done, it serves to further bond us together.17 It also

enables us to make decisive statements regarding work that we find value in, thus communicating those values to the larger community. The third role of the wands is that they are also egregores18; collections of occult power existing on the astral. These are powerful symbolic forms that can be tapped into not unlike specific frequencies on a radio. When passed formally in a rite, these astral forms are intentionally placed in the energy field of the recipient, further connecting the individual to the energy of the wand in question. Beyond the specifics of initiatory lineages which have historically kept certain of us apart, sharing the wands need not be limited to those lines, allowing us to ritually reinforce our common connections and also to forge new ones, thus working toward a more inclusive community based on communication, excellence, and of honoring each other for our talents and services. Different lines hold different rituals and customs concerning the formal passing of wands (as opposed to a wand being passed informally in vision from the God/dess) but it is usual that a holder of a particular wand may then pass that wand to another initiate if they so desire. In this we may all honor each other with markers of our particular talent and specialty. In the way in which it was first presented to me, it is the God/dess who passes the wand, and then Her human priests who formally confirm and acknowledge it. While there are many different valid styles in how and when students are trained and initiated, one widespread practice is to engage in a (quite often lengthy) training period prior to receiving the initiation. The thinking behind this is that since the initiation empowers all parts of the recipient, it is in the interest of safety (and the sanity of the student) to work toward self-knowledge and purification prior to this major energetic event, lest these internal complexes and blocks become magnified and threaten the psychic well-being of the individual. While this is done for good reasons there is a downside: in this style of training the end result is almost always initiation, leaving the psychic impression that initiation is the final culmination of the larger work, when it is actually only the beginning. It is not uncommon for new initiates who have been trained in this way to feel that they are without support in the usually fragile time just after their initiation rite. Some people feel that they are without focus or direction as there is no specific area of study for them to continue toward. One

solution is working toward a particular wand, giving the initiate a renewed focus and a new magical goal. I hold the Black Wand. It was first passed to me in a vision from the God/dess and then years later confirmed and blessed by Cora Anderson along with several other initiates during a simple rite in her home. I was later passed the Black Wand again, this time by Feri teacher and Priest Dominic Elemirion, thus ritually presenting me with both of the aforementioned versions of the wand lore and lineage, thus allowing me to effectively and traditionally merge them into one. As a holder of the Black Wand I was taught that I am empowered to make changes to the tradition where necessary, a role that I believe all initiates possess. If we genuinely commune with the Powers then it is likely (and often preferred) that new forms and understandings will be uncovered, thus making changes to the tradition, or at least in how we ourselves practice and, by extension, how we teach it. One development that has been talked about amongst some initiates over the past several years is the potential need for more wands to represent different areas of talent, expertise, and magic which could give both new initiates as well as seasoned elders a renewed sense of focus, purpose, and magical study. With this, the inclination toward an overt hierarchy is lessened while the potential for communicating ones role, connection to an egregore, and sharing of honorifics between our peers remains. Toward this end I present the following; my own development and interpretation of the wand system in thirteen parts. While each wands color speaks to their overall role and meaning, there are also a series of symbols and invocations that may be used when meditating on the powers of each of them. Feel free to invoke their presence in magical space and approach them on your own in order to explore your personal relationship with them to determine what power or lesson they may hold for you. The 13 Wands and Emblems: The Thirteen Wands and the meditative emblems do not represent a hierarchy of authority nor of inherent value. There is no first wand passed at initiation which is then built upon in terms of gradations of experience. The wands are all equal in terms of power (for how can an artist be above or below a healer?) but there is added responsibility to the community, as well as an additional lineage, with the Black and it is for these reasons that I feel this wand alone should not be claimed publicly

unless formally conferred by those who already possess it. The triple strands of power (inner calling, honor from our peers, and connection to an egregore) that are braided into the wands are about an individuals service to the community. The White Wand The mark of the artist or bard. The White Wand witch expresses their spiritual craft in the form of visual art, poetry, music, dance, or creative ritual and offers these talents to the community. These individuals are concerned with expressing the traditional power in ever expanding ways, creating poetry and art in order to allow all of us deeper access to the living and changing powers of our Feri craft. Emblem: The Moon White the moon a jewel among the night!Brings ghostly longing and the shifting sight!From swirling-colored chaos of the storm!Grasps creation as it moves through form. The Red Wand The symbol of a sexual magician, someone who specializes in utilizing sexual energy to fuel their magic. Those who wield the Red Wand are skilled in sexual ritual and may be proficient in the techniques of Tantra, or other spiritual sexual practices. Emblem: The Flame Red the flame that burns with passions kiss!That builds with pulsing throbs and leads to bliss!This primal flame that is the force of life!Erupts in sensual majesty as light. The Yellow Wand The mark of a teacher. The Yellow Wand witch is one who has taken on the responsibility of guiding others on their spiritual path and to impart the tradition to others. While holders of the other wands may offer their particular skill in the form of teaching others, the Yellow Wand witch is committed to imparting the tradition as a whole, and not just a particular specialty or area of study. Emblem: The Sun Yellow bright the sun that deftly shines!With strength of heart and clarity of mind!The lamp of knowledge lit at your command!As sacred fire is passed

from hand to hand. The Green Wand The sign of the herbalist and healer. The Green Wand witch is one that is called to offer themselves to the community in any of the various healing arts including herbalism, bodywork, or energetic healing practices. The Green Wand witch might have a rapport with particular plant spirits or devas, and might also employ any number of other traditional healing practices such as acupuncture, massage, Reiki, holistic medicine, and even psychic surgery. Emblem: The Tree Green the growing leaf upon the tree!Healing spirits I commune with thee.!Kin of flower, root, stem, fruit, and vine!We enter now into the Healing Shrine. The Blue Wand A counselor or mediator. These individuals are called to assist others with spiritual, psychological, or emotional counseling, or even offering their services as mediator to help with problem solving or conflict resolution. A much needed role in any spiritual community! Emblem: The Well Blue the glass-still waters of the well!Underneath whose surface all shades dwell!Currents move and swirl in quiet dance!The mind and soul aligned in perfect trance. The Violet Wand The psychic. These witches are skilled in various forms of divination and/or psychic techniques and make their talents available to the community as readers or psychic consultants. Emblem: The Eye Violet shines the eye that looks beyond!This world of form of which weve grown so fond!Awareness of the worlds that lie between!The world of matter and of that unseen. The Brown Wand

Those who work extensively with earth energies. Dowsing, ley lines, crystals, animal communication, and geomantic magic all fall under the auspices of the brown. Emblem: The Stone Brown the earthly cast of stone!Feather, scale, hoof, and horn!Unseen crystal rivers flow!Primal voices; down below. The Gray Wand The symbol of those who are skilled in possession and in traversing the astral realms. These individuals offer their talents in trance mediumship as vessels for Divine consciousness and as astral explorers, delving into and discovering the temples of the inner planes, as well as working in the physical plane while out of body. They may at times even act as teachers of their particular skill. Emblem: The Veil Gray the ghostly cloak of fog!That looms beyond our dream!Here we move beyond the world!The veil parts, receive thy charge! The Silver Wand The astrological sorcerer. This individual is skilled in various aspects of astrological observance and/or interpretation which may include stellar magic, as well as working with planetary, angelic, and other celestial/luminary energies. The Silver Wand witch is able to observe the subtle energies of the cosmic procession, and to mediate those energies into work here on our own planet, thus acting as a bridge between heaven and earth. Emblem: The Star Silver star a beacon shines!From realms above the earth!Tapping into secret light!Tides of power mapped in stars The Golden Wand The wand of the alchemical sorcerer. Those who wield this wand are concerned with the transmutation of spiritual energies thus turning lead into gold; for example they may be skilled in transforming energies that are a hindrance into those that can assist the individual. Emblem: The Scales

Golden scales of weights and measure!Between the worlds of pain and pleasure!Changing form from base to gold!Revealing secrets left untold. The Bone Wand Symbol of the ancestral priest/ess and one who is skilled in necromancy. This witch has a deep connection to the ancestors; not just their own biological ancestors, but those of our Feri Craft, both human and non. Bone Wand witches may be called upon as resources to help us connect with our spiritual and ancestral roots as well as act as a link to the Mighty Dead. Emblem: The Skull Bone of life now gone to death!The clan of spirit and the clan of flesh!Beyond the grave in shade they now unfold!Ancestral spirits come, and all behold! The Iridescent Wand The mark of the shape-shifter, those who are called to explore, and to develop, the Queer Mysteries. These individuals need not be any particular sexual orientation, but are able to remain open to move beyond the boundaries of sexual and spiritual convention. Iridescent Wand initiates are comfortable exploring the blurring of ones etheric gender and form and may practice specific forms of magic that are commonly associated with either the opposite sex, or that of the trickster. Emblem: The Winged Serpent Iridescent shifting color!Serpent winged with peacock eyes!A flash of dreams across the mind.!By lovers kisses be thou tempered. The Black Wand The wand of an elder sorcerer, sometimes called a Grandmaster. The holder of this wand is extensively trained in diverse forms of sorcery, as well as in black magic. They are also the keepers of traditional lore and may also be the holders of their own distinct lineages within the larger tradition. A Black Wand acts in the capacity of a priest for others in the priesthood, providing advice, counseling, and magical assistance when needed. A Black Wand initiate makes themselves available to everyone within the tradition and must embody the qualities of all of the other

wands as the situation demands. Those who have received this wand in vision are called to exemplify its qualities in their own lives. Those who have received it formally are called to take on the responsibility to the community that it entails, and are thus honored by their peers as having the knowledge and ability to uphold that responsibility. Emblem: The Cave Black the cave of ancient dwelling!Guarding secrets beyond telling!Heavens stars within you gleam!As Anas council so convenes. Anyone who has legitimately received a wand from the God/dess can, of course, internally claim it as a personal calling (for who is anyone to judge your personal experience with deity?) but when the wands are also formally recognized/passed by our peers who already hold them, they take on the added purpose of validating and honoring the work we do by the community we serve. I internally took the role and responsibility along with the energetic chargeof a Black Wand from a vision of the God/dess, but because I have also formally received the wand I present it publicly to communicate my responsibility to the community. I am proud and honored that my peers who have also been given this honor, believe that it is my path, and that I have the skills, knowledge, and power to uphold it. For those of us who use the wands they are both personal and transpersonal, communicating the specific talents we are offering to the community, while also proudly proclaiming that others who are also skilled in those particular fields have made testament to our abilities. While this is what is now passed in my own lineage of the Feri tradition, I present this to a wider audience in the hopes that it will assist or otherwise inspire some in our community to achieve a renewed focus on their magical pursuits. Certainly these wands and symbols can be meditated on by anyone who wishes to explore their deeper meanings, and so it is likely that others will form different relationships to them than I currently have, perhaps even radically so. This is the nature of Feri tradition in that it seeks to create new forms (and break down old ones) in the interest of continual progress and deepening of power. For some, the wands will provide a new focus and opportunity to forge new powers. For others it will seem restrictive and irrelevant. There is no right or wrong answer beyond the inner calling of ones own soul. For those of us who are called to use the wands, they become like the broomsticks and stangs of the Old Craft, transporting us into new territories of power where we may gather in study and celebration to develop and deepen our talents. For others they might just be an interesting, if obscure, piece of evolving

lore with no bearing on their own practice. Either way they represent an opportunity to look beyond what we have already received, and into the open vistas of the possible. 2007 Storm Faerywolf!www.faerywolf.com Notes: 1. In a tradition as fiercely individual as Feri, it is certainly not uncommon to find entire bodies of lore and material that are passed in one lineage while not in another. 2. In a series of private conversations with another Feri I was told that the Wand system did not exist in the early 70s, the proof of which is that the late Alison Harlow, co-founder of the Vanthe line of Feri, was present at a rite in which the wands were used for strictly seasonal purposes and carried no official function. However, in my research I have uncovered the text of a rite in which Gwydion Pendderwen was passed the Green Wand in such a way that implies an official capacity, and Alison is noted not only as being present for this event, but playing an instrumental role in conferring it. I post the relevant text below in the interest of history: From a Samhain rite from Gwydion Pendderwens Book of Shadows: Delegation of the Rites Victor and Alison Victor approaches the altar, where Cora gives him the Green Wand. Victor confers it upon Gwydion, who kneels before him, by placing it upon his neck momentarily. Alison says: He who serves for the master, let him take up the office. This would imply that the Green Wand symbolized some type of official function and that Alison was aware of this at the time, and presumably in agreement with the idea, as she participated in the ritual and performed a defining role. 3. From a private correspondence with Gabriel Carillo, founder of the Bloodrose line of Feri. Gabriel told me that he had never stopped using the Wand System, and that all of his initiations were within the observances of the Wands. I later would learn that he did abandon its use

for an unspecified period of time, but then returned to using it some time later. 4. From private correspondences with Anaar, student and initiate of Victor and Cora Anderson. 5. See, Witch Eye #8: Community Forum: The Passing of a Black Wand: http://www.feritradition.org/witcheye/community08.htm 6. See FAQ at FeriTradition.org, What is a Grandmaster? Who can be a Grandmaster? http://www.feritradition.org/FAQ.htm#grandmaster 7. Memorial for Victor Anderson: http://www.witchvox.com/va/dt_va.html?a=usca&c=passages&id=3624 8. The Feri tradition by Steve Hewell. http://www.witchvox.com/va/dt_va.html?a=usxx&c=trads&id=3785 9. A Grandmaster is distinct from the Grandmaster. There are several Grandmasters, but only one the Grandmaster. 10. Oral tradition. 11. I base this on numerous conversations that I have had with Feri initiates from several different lines. I would personally estimate that amongst Feri initiates those who practice the Wand System are almost certainly in the minority. 12. Oral tradition. 13. In this usage Bloodrose refers to those diverse styles of Feri practice that were formalized in the Bloodrose coven and that continues on in variant forms in all of its descendant lineages. 14. See Feri Wands by Anaar. Witch Eye #8. 2003, April Niino. http://www.whitewand.com/feriwands.html 15. It should go without saying that those lines and individuals who do not recognize the wand system need not feel compelled to begin doing so.

Feri is sufficiently diverse to allow for varied practices without resorting to attempts at fundamentalist dogma. 16. In most lines of Feri the Point of Power appears on both the Iron and the Pearl pentacles. 17. Historically, different initiatory lineages have unfortunately kept certain of us apart. Sharing the wands need not be limited to specific lines allowing us to ritually reinforce our common connections and to forge new ones, thus working toward a more inclusive community based on communication, excellence, and of honoring each other for our talents and services. 18. See Wikipedia, Egregore: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egregore!