Wicca by Scott Cunningham Read Free Book Online

is sometimes placed on the altar to represent the Goddess. Its shape (spheroid) is Goddess-symbolic, as are all circles and rounds, and its icy cold temperature (another way to determine genuine rock crystal) is symbolic of the depths of the sea, the Goddess’ domain.
    Then, too, the crystal may be used to receive messages from the Gods, or to store energy raised in ritual. Some Wiccans scry in the crystal to call up images of the Goddess or of past lives. It is a magical object touched with the divine, and if you find one, guard it carefully.
    Periodic exposure to moonlight, or rubbing the crystal with fresh mugwort, will increase its ability to spark our psychic powers. It may be the center of full moon rituals.
    Cup
    The cup is simply a cauldron on a stem. It symbolizes the Goddess and fertility, and is related to the element of water. Though it can be used to hold water (which is often present on the altar), it may also contain the ritual beverage imbibed during the rite.
    The cup can be made of nearly any substance: silver, brass, gold, earthenware, soapstone, alabaster, crystal, and other materials.
    Pentacle
    The pentacle is usually a flat piece of brass, gold, silver, wood, wax, or clay, inscribed with certain symbols. The most common, and indeed the only necessary one, is the pentagram, the five-pointed star that has been used in magic for millennia.
    The pentacle was “borrowed” from ceremonial magic. In this ancient art it was often an instrument of protection, or a tool used to evoke spirits. In Wicca, the pentacle represents the element of earth and is a convenient tool upon which to place amulets, charms, or other objects to be ritually consecrated. It is sometimes used to summon the Gods and Goddesses.
    Pentacles are also hung over doors and windows to act as protective devices, or are ritually manipulated to draw money owing to the pentacle’s earth associations.

    The Book of Shadows
    The Book of Shadows is a Wiccan workbook containing invocations, ritual patterns, spells, runes, rules governing magic, and so on. Some Books of Shadows are passed from one Wiccan to another, usually upon initiation, but the vast majority of Books of Shadows today are composed by each individual Wiccan.
    Don’t believe the stories in most other Wiccan books that one single Book of Shadows has been handed down from antiquity, for each sect of Wicca seems to claim that their own is the original, and they’re all different.
    Although until recently a Book of Shadows was usually handwritten, today typed or even photocopied versions are quite common. Some Wiccans are even computerizing their books—to create, as friends of mine call it, the “Floppy Disc of Shadows.”
    To make your own Book of Shadows, begin with any blank book— these are available in most art stores and bookshops. If you cannot find a bound blank book, any lined exercise book will do. Simply write in this book any rituals, spells, invocations, and magical information that you have either composed or found elsewhere and would like to preserve.
    Remember—all Books of Shadows (including the one in section III) are suggestions as to ritual, not “holy writ.”Never feel tied down to these words. In fact, many Witches use three-ring binders, shuffling around pages, adding or subtracting information from their Book of Shadows at will.
    It is a good idea to copy your spells and rites by hand.Not only does this ensure that you’ve read the work completely, it also allows easier reading by candlelight. Ideally, all rites are memorized (there’s nothing more distracting than having to read or glance at the book), or created spontaneously, but if you would read your rites, be sure your copies are legible by flickering firelight.
    Bell
    The bell is a ritual instrument of incredible antiquity. Ringing a bell unleashes vibrations that have powerful effects according to its volume, tone, and material of construction.
    The bell is a feminine symbol and so is often